(no subject)

[sixbeforelunch]

I'm looking for a readable book about Georgian and Regency England. I know readable is a judgment call. I guess what I'm looking for is something with a good deal of humor and a very easy, non-pompous writing style. Something almost Bryson-esque in style. Does such a thing exist?

Comments

Georgian and Regency England

[cesy]

Are you looking for Georgette Heyer, or have I misunderstood? She has written a lot of readable fiction set in that period, with generally extremely accurate facts. (She did a lot of research. I believe there are a grand total of 3 factual mistakes that have since been found, in about 50 novels.)

I just noticed you said Bryson, which I presume means Bill, so you're after non-fiction. I don't know of any off the top of my head, but I'd still recommend Heyer, as she's fun and slips the history in quietly.

Re: Georgian and Regency England

[sixbeforelunch]

Yes, I meant non-fiction. I should have made that clearer.

I have had Georgette Heyer recommended to me so many times lately that I finally had to go ahead and order one of her books. The Nonesuch. Hopefully it lives up to all the hype. *g*

Re: Georgian and Regency England

[cesy]

The Nonesuch isn't one of my favourites. It's probably quite good for getting a feel for her writing and the period, but parts of the plot feel a little clichéd. This is more because other people have copied her than it being derivative when she wrote it, which is a frequent problem with Heyer. It still amuses me that she invented a new genre, saw all the people copying her badly, and turned round and parodied them.

If you want military stuff and a feel for the war, The Spanish Bride is slightly more readable than An Infamous Army. If you want slightly earlier Georgian stuff, I can recommend The Masqueraders, which is a ridiculous romp full of hilarious cross-dressing mix-ups. The Talisman Ring and The Unknown Ajax both have stuff about smuggling, if you're interested in that. For spa towns, there are three major books set in Bath: Lady of Quality, Black Sheep and Bath Tangle. For detail on the Prince Regent, Regency Buck is good. If you want purer history, Royal Escape is all about Charles running away to France, though I found it heavier going than some of her other books. I don't know if any of that helps you.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew

[kathmandu]

I recently browsed through What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist - The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England. It is readable, it is exactly intended to serve as a guide to the background of novels set in that time period, and it covers areas of life such as food, city and country life, pastimes, the servant system, and so on. I felt the author was biased toward men when discussing marriage and courtship, and he didn't always get things quite right in the food section, but overall it would be a good start.

Re: What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew

[sixbeforelunch]

I just picked a copy of that book up yesterday. I've heard mixed reviews of its accuracy, but I'm using it as a sort of rough guide. At the very least, it gives me better search terms. (e.g. "Coverture" is a much more specific search term than "married women's legal rights during regency".)

[damned_colonial]

Liza Picard's "Dr Johnson's London" is Georgian period. I have three of her "London" books and find them to be pretty good, readable overviews of the period. I'd characterise them as a bit more serious/reliable than "What Jane Austen Ate..."

Roy Porter also has a good social history of England in the 18th century but you might find it a little less readable. I mean, I don't think he's particularly pompous, but it's not especially light and approachable like Bill Bryson.

If you're at all interested in more specific aspects of the period, I can recommend eg. Brian Lavery's "Nelson's Navy" (incredibly readable! pictures! awesomeness!) as one of my favourite books about that era.

(ETA: ha ha I just realised this post is from 2009! The date had me fooled! I was thinking, what does six want with such an introductory book? Is she looking for something for a friend?)