Results for Tag: Books

The Dark Days of Georgian Britain – a Guest Post by James Hobson

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I am delighted to have James Hobson, author and former history teacher, as guest writer at Regency Explorer. In his book, “Dark Days of Georgian Britain. Rethinking the Regency”, James explores the lives of the powerless and the challenges they faced. He writes about corruption in government and elections, “bread or blood” rioting, the political discontent felt and the revolutionaries involved. It’s a treat for me to present James’s work about a little discussed field of research:

Rethinking the Regency: A description of terrible times and the people who had the courage to fight back

If you write a book with the expression “Dark Days” in the title, then it might be a good idea to reassure people that the book is not as bleak as it sounds. Well, I am afraid I can’t.

People seem to have forgotten, or do not know, that the period around the Napoleonic wars was one of the most appalling in British history. When there is a “worst year in British history competition”, 1816 is the latest year to be mentioned, and all the other competitors – like 1648 or 1347- are periods of epidemic disease or fratricidal civil war.

At first it made me angry that nobody had written very much about this aspect of the Regency and then it made me very happy. Continue reading →

My Historical Romance titled “Von tadellosem Ruf” is now available!

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A merry romance set in Regency-England …

It is an unforeseen blow for Lady Linfield when her nephew Robert Rothleigh, the black sheep of the family, inherits the title of Lord Cavenham. Robert is infamous for having caused anything from gossip to scandal, and Lady Linfield had always wished him as far away as possible.

Immediate action is required to save the family’s standing and clear Robert’s reputation when he becomes the head of the family:

  • a marriage to a suitable wife of high moral standards,
  • the settlement of his debts,
  • and a handsome apanage.

All this Lady Linfield will take care of. But what if the chosen bride, Georgina Standon, has different ideas about her future? And will Robert comply for the first time in his life?

Soon, Georgina and Robert are embroiled in a swirl of incidents and misconception. The theft of a valuable necklace and an abduction put additional obstructions in their way towards a happy ending.

… for readers enjoying the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer

Read an excerpt here.

„Von tadellosem Ruf“ is available in major Online-Shops in print and as e-book (ISBN: 9783744854313). The novel is written in German.

A Writer’s Travel Guide to London’s Bookbinding Trade

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bookIn the Georgian age, the book trade flourished in London. Reading was a popular pastime. Books were often read to friends and family for entertainment. Until the end of the 18th century, newly published books were sold without a binding. A person who bought a book received only the printed paper with temporary sewing, a so-called “board”. He/she would go on to engage a bookbinder to have it bound to match his/her personal library.

A bookbinding of high quality would find admirers in highest ranks. Wealthy aristocrats and gentry were affluent enough to order specially designed books for their libraries. Their books collections were made to impress, and so the books had to be bound befittingly. Many quality bookbinding workshops were located in Westminster, in the vicinity of the tailors. Thus, a gentleman could conveniently order a new coat and a binding for a new book in one afternoon.
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