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Georgette Heyer's Regency England
Join Judith Tavener, Annis Wynchwood, the Prince Regent and a whole host of romantic heroes and heroines on a nostalgic, visual tour of London, Bath, Brighton and other places of Georgette Heyer's Regency England.
175 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 7, 2022
2.5★
I think this is the book I wanted to read Barbosa: The Man Who Drew Flashman
I did know from the tepid reviews on Goodreads that I was likely to be disappointed in this book, but I am a big fan of Barbosa's artwork.
& so it proved, but the Barbosa book pictured is selling on ABE books for a minimum of US$142. That becomes an eye-popping sum in NZ$, even without international shipping charges!
I didn't know (but I should have realised) that Barbosa was also the cover artist for the Flashman books.
I'll certainly look out for these hardcovers!
I know him mainly from his covers for Georgette Heyer. Barbosa was her favourite cover artist. This is my favourite out of his Heyer covers;
I think this one
inspired the cover for Ms Cris's book;
Looks more of a saucy minx here, doesn't she? GH would never have approved!
Frankly the cover is the best thing about this book, although I also love Barbosa's b/w drawings.
The Barbosa maps are gorgeous, but would be too small for most to use on a walking tour around London and the other towns mentioned (maybe they could be printed larger if anyone wanted to use them) The most interesting thing for me was seeing how close places like the exclusive gaming club Watier's were to the private residences - explains why so many Heyer men chose to walk places - & why so many Heyer heroines were frustrated by not being permitted to walk alone!
Other than that there are some typos/mistakes near the start of the book. It was like a small section missed being edited/checked. & I think Ms Cris found there wasn't enough material to make a book, so she resorted to giving spoilerish examples from GH's books, rather than just mentioning that this had appeared in one GH book. I was reading The Foundling at the time and she mentioned a minor plot point that I had forgotten. Anyone who knows me know I hate spoilers & unfortunately they seem to always feature in works about Heyer & her books. I was going to give this example, but I didn't note it down & this book doesn't have an index.
Knowing this book was going to be disappointing didn't stop me being disappointed.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
I think this is the book I wanted to read Barbosa: The Man Who Drew Flashman
I did know from the tepid reviews on Goodreads that I was likely to be disappointed in this book, but I am a big fan of Barbosa's artwork.
& so it proved, but the Barbosa book pictured is selling on ABE books for a minimum of US$142. That becomes an eye-popping sum in NZ$, even without international shipping charges!
I didn't know (but I should have realised) that Barbosa was also the cover artist for the Flashman books.
I'll certainly look out for these hardcovers!
I know him mainly from his covers for Georgette Heyer. Barbosa was her favourite cover artist. This is my favourite out of his Heyer covers;
I think this one
inspired the cover for Ms Cris's book;
Looks more of a saucy minx here, doesn't she? GH would never have approved!
Frankly the cover is the best thing about this book, although I also love Barbosa's b/w drawings.
The Barbosa maps are gorgeous, but would be too small for most to use on a walking tour around London and the other towns mentioned (maybe they could be printed larger if anyone wanted to use them) The most interesting thing for me was seeing how close places like the exclusive gaming club Watier's were to the private residences - explains why so many Heyer men chose to walk places - & why so many Heyer heroines were frustrated by not being permitted to walk alone!
Other than that there are some typos/mistakes near the start of the book. It was like a small section missed being edited/checked. & I think Ms Cris found there wasn't enough material to make a book, so she resorted to giving spoilerish examples from GH's books, rather than just mentioning that this had appeared in one GH book. I was reading The Foundling at the time and she mentioned a minor plot point that I had forgotten. Anyone who knows me know I hate spoilers & unfortunately they seem to always feature in works about Heyer & her books. I was going to give this example, but I didn't note it down & this book doesn't have an index.
Knowing this book was going to be disappointing didn't stop me being disappointed.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
March 9, 2016
I am struggling to finish this book, which is a pity as I love the subject matter (an explanatory guide to the landmarks and other details in the Regency Era that Georgette Heyer mentioned in her books) and should be engrossed. Alas the great topic is let down by poor execution - many aspects are not as good as they could be. For example, the illustrations are delightful pencil-style sketches, but there are not enough of them to make things clear. The book would also benefit from more detailed maps (for people like me who are not familiar with London). The narrative is in a disappointingly bland tone - it sounds too aloof and bland, like a walking tour brochure (which the author did mention would be an intended use of this book). The amount of scholarship is undoubted, but a bit more passion would make the book more engaging. This is a book that could really benefit from the visual enrichment / interactivity of an eBook format - it would be wonderful to see a virtual tour of the streets while reading this.
POSTSCRIPT: Just finished the book despite its inadequacies. Had a good time revisiting some beloved Georgette Heyer works through the pages of this book, but I stand by my previous judgment on its merits. Actually downgraded my rating from 3 to 2 stars because I found at least 5 or 6 errors - mis-spellings, incorrect attributions etc - whilst reading.
POSTSCRIPT: Just finished the book despite its inadequacies. Had a good time revisiting some beloved Georgette Heyer works through the pages of this book, but I stand by my previous judgment on its merits. Actually downgraded my rating from 3 to 2 stars because I found at least 5 or 6 errors - mis-spellings, incorrect attributions etc - whilst reading.
May 12, 2008
Superficial, light on illustrations. Basically reads that the author wrote sights and events while reading the novels (anda select few at that). Not informative or useful for genuine research.
April 18, 2018
If Georgette Heyer did not indeed invent a whole genre of fiction, she certainly brought it both to a mastery and a popularity that sparked a flood of imitations. Her Regency Romances are written with a verve, accuracy and feel for the period that few other writers have equalled.
The results of her painstaking research, however, are always used as a backdrop to the narrative, and are taken for granted both by the characters and by the author: there are no discursions into explanation for modern readers who might (perhaps) wonder what a phaeton is, or precisely where Mount Street might be.
The answers to these and similar questions may be found in the present work, which gives (for the most part) and extremely able account of Miss Heyer’s world, including its pastimes, clothing, vehicles and social customs. There are sections on the practice of duelling, and maps and descriptions of London, Brighton and Bath, both as they were then and as they are now, so that one may use the book as a tourist guide to find what remains today of the Regency world.
Not unnaturally, a large part of the book consists of references to persons and events in Miss Heyer’s romances; and it is here (unfortunately) that we find something so sloppy that it’s hard to see how it got past the most cursory editing: the names of Miss Heyer’s characters are garbled almost beyond belief.
For instance, the Countess Lieven is referred to, repeatedly, as Countess Leiven. That might be forgiven, but from Friday's Child alone Sherry is referred to as “Stacy” (p.31), and Sir Montague Revesby as “Sir Mark Ravensby” (p.23), even though it is Revesby on p.13. Augustus Fawnhope (from The Grand Sophy) becomes “Endymion Fawnhope” (p.56), but Endymion Dauntry (from Frederica) becomes Endymion Daventry (p.89). Presumably the author wrote these names from memory and never bothered to check them.
So all in all, this is a worthwhile book for fans of Georgette Heyer, but a revised edition would be a fine thing.
The results of her painstaking research, however, are always used as a backdrop to the narrative, and are taken for granted both by the characters and by the author: there are no discursions into explanation for modern readers who might (perhaps) wonder what a phaeton is, or precisely where Mount Street might be.
The answers to these and similar questions may be found in the present work, which gives (for the most part) and extremely able account of Miss Heyer’s world, including its pastimes, clothing, vehicles and social customs. There are sections on the practice of duelling, and maps and descriptions of London, Brighton and Bath, both as they were then and as they are now, so that one may use the book as a tourist guide to find what remains today of the Regency world.
Not unnaturally, a large part of the book consists of references to persons and events in Miss Heyer’s romances; and it is here (unfortunately) that we find something so sloppy that it’s hard to see how it got past the most cursory editing: the names of Miss Heyer’s characters are garbled almost beyond belief.
For instance, the Countess Lieven is referred to, repeatedly, as Countess Leiven. That might be forgiven, but from Friday's Child alone Sherry is referred to as “Stacy” (p.31), and Sir Montague Revesby as “Sir Mark Ravensby” (p.23), even though it is Revesby on p.13. Augustus Fawnhope (from The Grand Sophy) becomes “Endymion Fawnhope” (p.56), but Endymion Dauntry (from Frederica) becomes Endymion Daventry (p.89). Presumably the author wrote these names from memory and never bothered to check them.
So all in all, this is a worthwhile book for fans of Georgette Heyer, but a revised edition would be a fine thing.
October 10, 2025
I bought this book because I was planning a trip to the UK and wanted to visit some of the places that feature in Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, and it certainly provides much guidance in this regard. But it is also just a delight to read, with constant references to events and characters from the Georgette Heyer book I love so much, so I recommend reading Georgette Heyer’s Regency England regardless of whether you are planning to travel around England or not!
October 20, 2023
A delightful trip through Heyer's novels & the England therein. I wish I could wander those highways & byways now - I could make a whole itinerary from this book. Quite a few errors with Augustus Fawnhope & Endymion Dauntry's names getting mixed up but otherwise a fun adventure. I wish my eyes were still good enough to read those maps properly.
April 2, 2023
Join Judith Tavener, Annis Wynchwood, the Prince Regent and a whole host of romantic heroes and heroines on a nostalgic, visual tour of London, Bath, Brighton and other places of Georgette Heyer's Regency England.
May 14, 2008
Good exploration of the Regency period through the works of Georgette Heyer. I haven't read any of her works, but it wasn't a problem.
February 12, 2013
Worth buying for the illustrations alone.
January 18, 2011
for the history buffs only. Non fiction, discusses lifestyle and customs prevalent in English society during the time Jane Austen was writing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews