THE ILLUSTRATED JOURNEYS OF CELIA FIENNES, 1685-1712

by Christopher (edit). Morris, Christopher Morris (Editor)

'If you have not yet met the remarkable Celia, this book is the way to do it' -- Lloyds List

Celia Fiennes's lively account of her travels in England between 1685 and 1710 is a highly entertaining document of immense historical value. Often prim and censorious, her writing is engagingly eccentric in spelling and punctuation, and full of colour.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History

1 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1947

Reviews

[Ralph Britton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celia Fiennes diaries of her travels are harder to read than Defoe's 'Tour' because of her breathless style and eccentric grammar. They only survived by chance and have been sympathetically edited in this version. What makes them interesting is her sharp eye for detail. She travelled at least in part for the fun of it in defiance of poor roads and discomfort and she recorded the things that took her fancy in a lively, disorganised way. You have to get into the spirit of the writer to enjoy this book but once you have it is very rewarding. You get a glimpse of what the country looked like and how it felt to travel in the latter part of the 17th century. The illustrations are a vital part of the book and well chosen; it is fun to compare them with the text.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account by a lady who travels through Britain by coach or on horseback, well before Daniel Defoe wrote "A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain".

Though at times repetitive, Celia Fiennes is quite an interesting travel-journalist. She reports on crops, mining, industries, interesting buildings and sights, staying at inns versus staying with wealthy relatives, various spas and taking the waters, trying her hand at glass-blowing, attending various religious services and much more.

At times quite hilarious, like when she describes a painting of Venus at a stately home as quite good were it not for a lack of clothes.

Shows that women could be way more intrepid than most folks want us to believe. Wouldn't mind taking one of her routes on horse-back, if it weren't for modern traffic and the way places have changed.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Fiennes made many journeys on horseback throughout England in the late 17th and early 18th century. She was an enthusiastic traveller who wrote in great detail about all the places she visited . The book is full of fascinating descriptions of places and the activities of people, such as how salt was extracted from the sea at Lynmouth, or paper making in Canterbury. I would have loved to travel with Celia, she clearly enjoyed herself very much and was interested in everything.

[Julaine]

Fiennes, Celia, 1662-1741
Abridged version, refers to an unabridged version from Cresset Press.