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The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency Britain
April 2025: Fun
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The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency Britain by Ian Mortimer - 4 stars
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This does look like fun. I am going to have add it
The style of the book is fun. I like the idea of non-fiction history as a "time travel" guide.
Oh this is perfect for me! That period was so influenced by the rise of Bonaparte and the Peninsular Wars, which have long interested me - mostly from the French side.ETA: It's so me, I already have it on my TBR!
Awesome. I thought of you two when I was reading it. I think both of you will enjoy it.
This looks like something I would enjoy. Added!
Hope you enjoy it too OM!
I love these "Time Traveller's" books! I'm not sure that I've read this one yet, though.ETA: Just checked - I've read the ones on Medieval and Elizabethan England. Pretty sure this is on the tbr, though.
I will definitely be reading more of them.
The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency Britain focuses on details of life in Great Britain during the Regency period. While officially the Regency lasted from 1811 to 1820 (when the future George IV ruled as Prince Regent during his father's illness), Mortimer extends his exploration from 1789 to 1830. This expanded scope allows Mortimer to capture the leadup to the era and the full impact afterward. He presents a comprehensive picture of the social, economic, and cultural shifts that defined the period.
Mortimer plays the role of tour guide, explaining the experiences of daily life as if readers were time traveling visitors. He excels in portraying Regency society's many contradictions. This was an age of remarkable refinement and shocking brutality, scientific advancement and entrenched superstition, increasing wealth and devastating poverty. He describes almost every part of life, such as clothing, traveling, lodging, work, shopping, landscapes, buildings, government, justice, moral codes, social customs, hygiene, disease, life expectancy, military, entertainment, and how these factors changed over time.
It covers all types of people – monarchs, aristocrats, laborers, domestic servants, rural farmers, and the growing middle classes. He includes descriptions of what women and minorities would have experienced (which was mostly unpleasant). Mortimer's prose is accessible and often witty. His research is thorough and well-documented. This book is both informative and entertaining. It deepened my appreciation of the cultural and social dynamics that shaped era. Recommended to anyone interested in British history.