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An American in Regency England: The journal of a tour in 1810-1811;
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 29, 2020
This is a primary source diary written by a traveler from America to Great Britain in 1809-1811. The title is misleading because the diarist is actually a Frenchman who escaped France at the beginning of the Revolution. At the time of his travels he was living in America but later emigrated to Britain and back to France. Throughout his travels he compares Britain and British people to France and the French people. To a lesser extent he compares Britain to America but rarely mentions his adopted home and doesn't say much about himself. If you don't wish to read the edited published edition, you may read the original 1815 edition on Google Books in English Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 or French Vol. 1 and
Other items of note include descriptions of manufactories. The Industrial Revolution wasn't in full swing yet but I was interested to see they were using steam engines in industries other than textile mills. In the textile mills in the north, the male weavers were worried the new machines would put them out of business. As we know, the following year, the Luddites smashed the machinery. I also found it interesting that Simond notes there are numerous monuments to Lord Nelson already (in 5 years) and none to George Washington! Huh. In light of the recent monument toppling, perhaps that was a good thing. His observation certainly puts those monuments in context anyway. He also writes a lot about politics and the political situation and some news and notes about some well-known figures at the time.
Unfortunately Simond doesn't talk much about daily life or fashion too much, being a man and a visitor. I wish his wife had also kept a diary!
This book is well worth reading for research purposes. Authors choosing to make their heroes French or American would do well to read this diary. It's slim and didn't take much brain power to read. I highly recommend it. I plan to look through the original version online.
Other items of note include descriptions of manufactories. The Industrial Revolution wasn't in full swing yet but I was interested to see they were using steam engines in industries other than textile mills. In the textile mills in the north, the male weavers were worried the new machines would put them out of business. As we know, the following year, the Luddites smashed the machinery. I also found it interesting that Simond notes there are numerous monuments to Lord Nelson already (in 5 years) and none to George Washington! Huh. In light of the recent monument toppling, perhaps that was a good thing. His observation certainly puts those monuments in context anyway. He also writes a lot about politics and the political situation and some news and notes about some well-known figures at the time.
Unfortunately Simond doesn't talk much about daily life or fashion too much, being a man and a visitor. I wish his wife had also kept a diary!
This book is well worth reading for research purposes. Authors choosing to make their heroes French or American would do well to read this diary. It's slim and didn't take much brain power to read. I highly recommend it. I plan to look through the original version online.
March 29, 2017
Absolutely outstanding. Simond chronicles many facets of his travels through England and Scotland, ranging from the state of the roads, to popular performers of the day, to the cost of bread in various cities and towns, to politics, to innovations in mining and drainage.
If there is any shortcoming in this journal, it would be Simond's class blindness, for he repeatedly insists that no one in England suffers from abject poverty, because he does not see them. Even as he notes the sharp inflation in the price of grain and the decline in employment in mill towns due to industrialization, he says that everyone who might be called poor looks clean and well-fed. I suspect he simply didn't venture into the right neighborhoods.
Whatever failings he might have on that front, however, he makes up for in visits to prisons, courtrooms, asylums, schools, a prisoner-of-war encampment and other such places the typical tourist would overlook.
Besides being chock-full of invaluable information about Regency-era England and Scotland, Simond is an engaging writer. His diary is briskly paced and a pleasure to read.
If there is any shortcoming in this journal, it would be Simond's class blindness, for he repeatedly insists that no one in England suffers from abject poverty, because he does not see them. Even as he notes the sharp inflation in the price of grain and the decline in employment in mill towns due to industrialization, he says that everyone who might be called poor looks clean and well-fed. I suspect he simply didn't venture into the right neighborhoods.
Whatever failings he might have on that front, however, he makes up for in visits to prisons, courtrooms, asylums, schools, a prisoner-of-war encampment and other such places the typical tourist would overlook.
Besides being chock-full of invaluable information about Regency-era England and Scotland, Simond is an engaging writer. His diary is briskly paced and a pleasure to read.
March 17, 2020
"I am convinced there is sun and blue sky enough in England to satisfy any reasonable person."
October 19, 2025
Don't write Regency stories without reading Simond. He's observant, clever, and clear about his biases; squarely upper middle class and with a keen interest in architecture and landscaping. He lists exact prices of goods in his diaries -- invaluable for research -- and the extended description of a day attending Parliament's House of Commons can't be beat. A treasure trove of information.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews