The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain: A Handbook for Visitors to 1789–1830
If you love the Regency era like I do, then this is the book for you! Within the pages of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain, a bygone, glittering age comes to life. This well-researched and well-written nonfiction work covers everything a time traveler would need to know about late Georgian Britain. Ian Mortimer writes in an engaging and informative manner that hooks the reader.
He covers many fascinating topics: Britain under George III and George IV (Chapter 1); the importance of London as the crown jewel of it all (Chapter 2); what the people were like during the era, especially some of the more colorful figures (Chapter 3); the prevailing behaviors and beliefs (Chapter 4); the specifics of everyday life (Chapter 5); the attire that was worn (Chapter 6); what it was like to travel and how to do so (Chapter 7); where a person could stay when traveling or where they lived (Chapter 8); what people ate and drank (Chapter 9); health, medicine, and hygiene (Chapter 10); how the justice system functioned (Chapter 11); and what people did for entertainment (Chapter 12). It is important to mention that this exhaustive work includes information about people from different strata of society.
To say that I adored this book is an understatement. I finished this book in two days because I was engrossed. As someone who is a fan of Ian Mortimer’s other books, this one did not disappoint. Not only does Mortimer present the reader with fascinating facts and stories, but he explores topics one would not initially think about. I enjoyed that the chapters are interspersed with quotes from famous figures of the time. At the end, Mortimer includes an Envoi where he shares some of his thoughts on the Regency era. This adds a nice touch.
