Some Suggested Non-fiction Reading

All Georgette Heyer fans should read Jane Aiken Hodge's biography: The Private World of Georgette Heyer, The Bodley Head, 1983. Teresa Chris has written Georgette Heyer's Regency England, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989, ISBN: 0283998326 A. S. Byatt essay on Georgette Heyer in her Passions of the Mind Selected Writings Vintage Books, 1991. "An Honourable Escape: Georgette Heyer" pp 233-240. Rachel M. Brownstein, Becoming A Heroine - Reading About Women in Novels, The Viking Press, pp. 29-31. Josef Hurtubise's Essay on Georgette Heyer Archana Rampure's Article on Georgette Heyer Jane Axelrod from the Heyer list has a couple of suggestions of good books Hibbert, Christopher, The London Encyclopedia a fabulous reference work with almost enything in it one could wish to look up...I have a copy at home and use it with alarming regularity.. Steven Parissien: The Adam Style - and The Regency Style Two wonderful books on the furniture, architecture, decoratuve arts and style of these two periods with lots of colour illus. David Low, The Regency Underworld Venture into this forgotten world and discover a vivd picture of pleasure-seekers, criminals and body snatchers at work. This revised edition has a new introduction by the author, who has also re-illustrated the volume with a variety of contemporary prints, portraits and cartoons to bring the period between from 1800-1830 and its characters to life. Maria from the Listserv has the following recommendations: The Prince of Pleasure and His Regency by J.B.Priestley has a great year-by-year chronology. The Reminiscences and Recollections of Captain Gronow by Rees Gronow is full of anecdotes of the Regency era. You'll recognize him as the source for the snippets about real persons that you find in Regencies. Gentlemen's Clubs of London by Anthony Lejeune is a wonderful source for stories about White's, Brooks', and the other clubs that are often mentioned. The Regency Companion by Sharon Laudermilk and Teresa L. Hamlin is a unique resource for lovers of the Regency. It even has a guide to Regency language as well as short biographies of the movers and shakers of the times. It has a comprehensive bibliography (with comments by the authors) that is very useful in tracking down more information. The Age of Scandal and The Scandal Monger by T.H. White, though not strictly Regency, give a delicious taste of life in the mid-to-late 18th century, giving an essential prelude to the Regency. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson are the first kiss-and-tell books in history! Harriette was the most famous courtesan of her time, and when she retired from her profession, she wrote these memoirs as a way to make some money. They were also a discreet form of blackmail, as you had to pay her if you didn't want to appear in them! Their success made sure that the planned second installment never appeared, the proposed subjects presumably learned their lesson and paid Harriette to not publish. The Creevey Papers and Creevey's Life and Times, both edited by John Gore. Thomas Creevey was a well known Whig Member of Parliament who was an inveterate letter writer, most of which fortunately survived. It's great reading, full of all the Regency terms we've come to know and love, like "awake on every suit," "a complete hand," etc. Life in Regency England and The Age of George III, both by R.J. White. The first title was my first Regency history book, and really explains the era and its influences in a comprehensive manner. THE REGENCY REFERENCE BOOK by Regency romance author Emily Hendrickson is a goldmine for the slang of the day. It can be ordered directly from Ms. Hendrickson. Most, if not all, of these books are out of print, but there are a lot of used and antiquarian bookstores on the net where you can look for them, and the prices are generally very reasonable. (Eileen's note: try my "How to Find GH Books" site especially the Advanced Book Exchange) Laura suggests: Margetson, Stella. Regency London. New York: Praeger Publishers, > 1971. LC # 71-165530. Borer, Mary Cathcart. An Illustrated Guide to London 1800 .New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988. ISBN 0-312-027778-8. (Published earlier in Great Britain by Robert Hale Ltd.) Erickson, Carolly. Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England. New York: Morrow, 1986. ISBN 0-688-06086-(harback); 0-688-07292-5 (paperback). Burnett, T. A. J. The Rise and Fall of a Regency Dandy. Boston: Little, Brown, 1981. ISBN 0-316-11709-9. This is about Scrope Berdmore Davies, a friend of Byron, Shelly, Brummell, John Cam Hobhouse. Like others, he was forced into exile by bankruptcy in 1820. A discovery by Barclay's Bank in their vault in 1975 of a trunk he left behind prompted this book. Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. ISBN 0-671-79337-3 (hardback); 0-671-88236-8 (paperback). Although it contains some known errors and it focuses on the mid-nineteenth century, this book gives a good introduction to a lot of basics, like money, the calendar, titles, card games, mail coaches, etc. Captain Gronow's memoirs, edited and notes by Christopher Hibbert. It is a selection from the longer Reminisces mentioned by Maria. London: Kyle Cathie Ltd., 1991. ISBN 1-85626-013-5. I highly recommend Gronow! Archana suggests: Hubert Cole, Beau Brummell. John Cleland, Fanny Hill : Memoirs of A Woman of Pleasure Penguin Books, 1995/Luxor Books 1964 is an EYE-OPENER!! It gives you a clear idea of what could have befallen any one of GH's impetous heroienes had they happend to fall into less scrupulous hands than those of her heros. Graham, Peter.W. Don Juan and Regency England. University of Virginia Press - 1990. This a humour book and I think it will be amusing if you know enough about the Regency to pick up what the author is refering to. April's Resources: Useful library books (not in any particular order): REGENCY LONDON, Stella Margetson LEISURE & PLEASURE in 19th CENTURY (ENGLAND? LONDON?), Stella Margetson WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, E.S.Turner NOT IN FRONT OF THE SERVANTS, Frank Davies THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE, Priestly OCCUPATIONAL COSTUMES IN ENGLAND, Cunnington & Lucas ALEXANDER I, Troyat TALLYRAND, Bernard LONDON 1808-1890: THE INFERNAL WEN, Francis Sheppard GEORGIAN LONDON, Douglas Hill GEORGE IV, Hibbert 19TH CENTURY CRIME IN ENGLAND, J.J.Tobias THE PAGEANT OF GEORGIAN ENGLAND, E.Burton DICTIONARY OF CITY OF LONDON STREET NAMES, Al Smith KINGS & COMMONERS, Timpson KEMBLE ERA, Linda Kelly BRITISH THEATRE, Alec Clunes Some research books I have on my own shelf: THE TIMETABLES OF HISTORY, Bernard Grun, A Touchstone Book (Simon & Schuster), ISBN: 0-671-24988-6 ACKERMANN'S COSTUME PLATES (Women's Fashions in England, 1818-1828), Stella Blum, Dover Publications, 1978 ISBN: 0-486-23690-0 THE HISTORY OF UNDERCLOTHES, C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington, Dover Publications, 1992 ISBN: 0-486-27124-2 MRS. HURST DANCING & Other Scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823, ISBN: 0-312-55129-0 THE FIRST FOUR GEORGES, J.H.Plumb, B.T.Batsford Ltd., 1961 DEVILS, DRUGS & DOCTORS, Howard W. Haggard, M.D., Pocket Books 1959 (also in hardcover--check your library) PATTERSON'S ROADS (18th edition 1829), reprinted by Odd Facts Unearthed (see Helen Woolverton in Dallas) AMERICA VISITED, Edith Coombs, Stratford Press Any decent Atlas LIFE IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE, Mark Girouard, Penguin Books, 1980 ISBN: 0-1400-5406-5 THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE, Olive Cook, Thames & Hudson, 1984 ISBN: 0-500-27309-X THE COUNTRY HOUSE GUIDE, Anna Sproule and Michael Pollard, Salem House Publishers, 1988 ISBN: 0-88162-322-9 WHAT JANE AUSTEN ATE AND CHARLES DICKENS KNEW, Daniel Pool, Simon & Schuster, 1993 ISBN: 0-671-79337-3 ENGLISH VILLAGES IN PICTURES, W.W.Norton & Company ENGLAND'S CHURCHES, Philip Clucas, Crescent Books, 1984 ISBN: 0-517-40274-2 VILLAGES OF ENGLAND, Brian Bailey, Harmony Books (Crown Publishers), 1984 ISBN: 0-517-55343-0 THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE 1800'S, Marc McCutcheon, Writer's Digest Books, 1993 ISBN: 0-89879-541-9 A FRIVOLOUS DISTINCTION (Fashion and Needlework in the works of Jane Austen), Penelope Byrde, printed by the City of Bristol, Printing and Stationery Department, Willway Street, Bristol BS3 4BQ, UK ISBN: 0-901303-09-7 LAUNDRY BYGONES, Pamela Sambrook, Shire Publications Ltd, Cromwell House, Church Street, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Bucks HP17 9AJ, UK ISBN: o-85263-648-2 UNKNOWN BATH (Scandals and Secrets from the Past), Niall Rothnie, Ashgrove Press, 19 Circus Place, Bath BAI 2PW, UK ISBN: 0-906798-68-X LONDON REVEALED, John Freeman, Little, Brown, and Company, 1992, ISBN: 0-316-90727-8 RESEARCHING HISTORIC GREAT BRITAIN, Kristine Hughes,(Available by mail order from Kristine Hughes--includes year by year events from 1600-1898!) Places/Houses to visit in Britain with useful guidebooks: Bleinheim Palace, Hatfield House, Penshurst Place (Tonbridge Kent), Sheldon Manor (Sheldon), Wilton House (Wiltshire), Stourhead (Wiltshire), Chiswick House (London), Kenwood (London), Warwick Castle Longleat (near Bath), Osterley Park House (London) Bath Guidebooks: THE CITY OF BATH (The Roman City of Aquae Sulis), BATH: Profile of a City, Paul Hardy & William Louwndes, 1984 ISBN: 0-905459-67-1 BATH ASSEMBLY ROOMS, The National Trust THE GREAT ROAD TO BATH, Daphne Phillips, Countryside Books, 1983 ISBN: 0-905392-26-4 Brighton: HISTORIC BRIGHTON AND HOVE Thanks to all contributors. Any errors are my own. If you have comments please email me at Home \ Join the Heyer list \ Looking for things Heyer? \ Notes and Queries \ List information The pictures on this page are thanks to The Regency Library an organisation well worth subscribing too ifyou are keen on the Regency Period.