The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories (Illustrated): Life and Literature in Nineteenth-Century England

by Joe Giampaolo

The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series is a delightful, concise guide to the history, traditions and literature of 19th century England. This book contains over 80 illustrations of the period.

Topics covered: Courtship and weddings; the social call; dancing and parlour games; the London Season, music and the performing arts; the monarchy and the nobility; occupations; religion and the Church; Christmas traditions; the typical English fare; fashion; modes of transportation; Life of the middle and upper classes; the London slums; political parties and reforms; technological advancements and breakthroughs; British and Irish Literature of the 1800s.

163 pages, ebook

Published January 5, 2022

About the author

Joe Giampaolo was born in 1963 in Rome, Italy, and moved to Canada as a teenager. He studied philosophy at York University. He speaks Italian and English, and has studied French, Latin, and ancient Greek. Joe’s interests include the theatre, fountain pens, mountain bikes, cooking, travelling, reading books, and playing the piano. He lives in Toronto with his family and their two dogs, Pixie and Buddy.

Joe’s publishing career includes fifteen books (essays, historical fiction, and poetry) and numerous newspaper and magazine articles in both Italian and English, covering topics such as poetry, politics, business, and sports.

Many of Joe’s books have received literary awards and achieved #1 bestseller status on Amazon in the USA, UK, Canada, and Italy. In the spring of 2025, Joe served as a voting juror for Il Premio Strega, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards; previous recipients include literary giants such as Umberto Eco and Alberto Moravia. Joe is a member of the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers (AICW) and The Ontario Poetry Society.

Awards & Accolades:

--2025 American Writing Awards, Finalist, General Poetry

--2025 American Writing Awards, Finalist, Contemporary Poetry

--2025 Hawthorne Prize, Short-listed

--2025 London Book Festival Awards, Honorable Mention, Poetry

--2024 American Writing Award, Finalist, Fiction/Short Stories

--2024 American Writing Award, Finalist, Non-Fiction

--2024 Best Book Awards, American Bookfest, Finalist, Biography

--2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Grand Prize Short List and Honorable Mention, Non-Fiction

--2024 International Impact Book Awards, Winner, Academic & Education

--2024 Los Angeles Book Festival Awards, Hon. Mention, Biographies

--2024 Los Angeles Book Festival Awards, Hon. Mention, Poetry

--2023 PenCraft Seasonal Book Awards, Winner, Biographies

--2023 American Writing Awards, Winner, Contemporary Poetry

--2023 Literary Titan Book Award, Gold Medal

--2022 Indies Today Book Awards, Finalist

--2022 Global Book Awards, Bronze Medal, Historical Romance

--2020 Literary Titan Book Awards, Gold Medal

--Joe's books have received glowing reviews by The Manhattan Book Review, Indies Today, BookView, Reader’s Favorite, Self-Publishing Review, Literary Titan, The Chicago Book Review, BookShelfie, The US Reviews of Books, and The Prairies Book Review.

Reviews

[Mary-Lisa Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book, it deserves a detailed review which I will submit shortly.

UPDATE (February 7, 2022): Detailed Review:

"The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series is a delightful, concise guide to the history, traditions and literature of 19th century England. This book contains over 80 illustrations of the period."

Joe Giampaolo's lovely book, "The Reader's Companion To the Hampshire Stories Series- Illustrated," published on January 5, 2022, is a true keeper for any reader's bookshelf as it delivers an informative and visually stimulating experience for the reader. I am privy to both the electronic and paperback versions of this book. Both were pleasant reads. I am deeply appreciative of the effort the author placed on conveying accurate information and what I like to call "book beauty" - perfect formatting, a detailed Table of Contents that is easy to follow, colored photos (in the paperback version) accompanied by appropriate descriptions and other minor details that elevates the book to a stellar standard. Each section is neatly categorized which I greatly appreciate as a reader. It conveyed a seamless transition from page to page.

No matter how many 19th-century based books I have read in the past, I cannot deem myself a connoisseur of that era. I learned the meaning behind the words and the back history of statements I continuously came across once I read Mr. Giampaolo's book. It provided me with a plethora of in-depth information which will make for great reference I can look to for any related (time-setting) reads. This is an excellent book for both authors and casual readers alike. It is a pleasant "encyclopedia" about the 19th-century I thoroughly enjoyed.

It is important to note that if you are going to read this book, read it to the very end. The writer states under the title, "Reference Material": "The background information for this book has been taken from a personal manual that I have been compiling for the last five years..." It is evident that much love and care was taken to bring this book to fruition. I respect that and appreciate the effort conveyed by his personal note. It is those things we do from the heart that connects us all and makes an ever-lasting impact.

Needless to say this book has a life-long space on my bookshelf. 5/5.

[Xan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series (Illustrated): Life and Literature in Nineteenth-Century England” by Joe Giampaolo is intended to be read alongside the author’s own series of novels and novellas but works wonderfully as a general guidebook to literature from the 18th and 19th centuries. It focuses on customs, traditions, jobs, and much more of the Regency and Victorian eras so the modern reader can understand the events taking place as well as possible. I feel like I discovered so many new things from this book, several of which I fully intend to research more another day.

The book is meant to give the modern reader a full overview on events within a Victorian or Regency novel, but there are many bits of information included that I don’t think I would have heard of even within a novel. For example, I knew that parkour games were popular for younger attendees of a party to play. While there still had to be chaperones, they had to have some form of fun and entertainment. I didn’t know, however, that there would be so many games that were risqué for the time! There was a lot I was fascinated to read about although it was only a brief overview on each topic, like the unusual occupations people had or common food and drink of the time. If anyone is interested, there were many more desserts that involved pouring brandy over or in the dessert and then setting it on fire than I would have ever thought.

I really liked the fact that everything is written very plainly and explained well despite how small each section is. There were many new facts that I learned and things that I had noted but hadn’t fully understood before. With inflation and different technology, it can be difficult to properly place a character’s standing. This book does an excellent job at noting what is typical for a person to own or do within each social class so the reader can go on and parse out exactly what a character’s standing is within a novel. I certainly gained some knowledge of nuances within the different classes that can easily mark a character as one that is extremely wealthy and one that is middle-class at best.

Giampaolo’s passion for Regency and Victorian literature and how much time he has put into research to ensure his own work is historically accurate is visible on every page. At the very end of the novel, in the “Reference Material” section, he mentions that much of the book is from five years of compiled notes and includes notes he took while reading the novels he discusses. To see a writer do so much research to ensure their novel is well-made and, perhaps more importantly for period novels, historically accurate is always a welcome sight. I feel like that truly shows the passion a writer has for the subject or at least time they are writing for.

I give this book a perfect 5 stars and highly recommend it. I enjoyed everything about it, from the topics discussed to the images chosen down to the formatting of the novel that looks like a 19th century novel – or at least a modern printing of one. I do wish that the images on the Kindle edition were more clear, but they are all titled and cited so it is easy to look them up if anyone is interested in seeing them in higher definition.

[Lucia Maranghello · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series is, as the title says, short stories regarding:
1. The life and tradition in Regency and Victorian times
2. The brief overview of 19th century British and Irish literature
3. The list of the most influential authors of the 19th century.

Foremost, I thought the preface, written by the author: Joe Giampolo, was really beautiful. The author gives a warm welcome to the reader and looking out to make you feel comfortable and being invested in it within a few pages; and also, an insight of what each part of the book is going to be about and offering his personal opinion regarding the 18th century literature.

Secondly, I believe this book is perfect for the enthusiast of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters novels. Not only will it expand your knowledge of how people lived their life in the 19th century, but also about their curious traditions.

Thirdly, I took great pleasure in that the author connected the diverse traditions of the English society, with specific passages of, for example, the works of Jane Austen, in Pride and Prejudice.

And fourthly, each topic of the book has a lot of detail, commentaries and illustrated images of it. It could make your mind visualize yourself in that era, as if you belong to it. It is amazing how much information there is about a time that is so far away, almost 200 years ago.

I can't also believe the amount of skepticism this people held, because of the amount of horror and death that surrounded them. Something we will never have to know because of the enormous advances that have been done in technology and medicine in the last 150 years.

I truly enjoyed these short stories. It really does take you back in time and, at the end of the book, made you feel with more knowledge about the 19th century England society than before. If it hasn't been obvious, these series of short stories is perfect for people looking to read more from this era, or those that enjoy the history behind classic authors like Austen.

[Candice Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reader's Companion written by Joe Giampaolo takes you back in time. This book speaks about nineteenth century England. Throughout the book, you will learn about games, relationships and behavior which reflected the era. You will learn about such games as buffy Gruffy, and other games which are played in the modern era such as cribbage. Following reading about the games, a description ensues regarding music and other forms of entertainment. A reader will learn about careers, cuisine and important dates within the year. How this book is laid out is really easy to understand. Each chapter contains a variety of topics. Under each topic is a description and sometimes subtopics.

For young individuals such as myself, it was great to learn about the games that people played. For instance, I have never heard of the game Buffy Gruffy. In this game people dared to try to identify the person sitting while they were blindfolded. Would I have played? I am not sure! There are those who grew up watching a show called Little House on the Prairie and could find similarities in a few of the occupations listed. One occupation is that of a tinker. A tinker goes around town offering products such as pots and pans and cutlery. Many people who are interested in music will find the music section interesting. In this section there are songs which are sung today. Next to each song is a date, which shows when the song was composed. It's great to see how long songs have been in existence and how long songs have lasted the test of time! The different topics in this book will draw an array of readers. A great book to learn about the past! I hope people learn something new and perhaps find a new “old” game to play.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader's companion to the Hampshire stories series – by Joe Giampaolo, is an excellent aide to any reader or study of 19th-century literature. It will be suitable for anyone studying English GCSE or A-level in the UK, or infact any writers setting their work in this period. It's an excellent gateway into the day-to-day lives of people throughout the century, particularly during Regency period, and frequently references the works of Austen, the Brontë's, and Dickens.

The author has written this book to go along with his own novella that is a prize-winning collection of short stories set in the same time period. Whilst the stories themselves have received much acclaim, it is clear that they were also very well researched and underpinned by a wide knowledge base of the time which the Companion reveals. The author very neatly traverses every day traditions, practices, amusements and habits for the young and old, wealthy and poor alike. Whilst each of these things could in fact take up a whole book in themselves, such as wedding practices, Giampaolo very succinctly summarises and explains each of them. This is a reference book, for anyone curious about the period, perhaps they have seen Bridgeton on Netflix and wondered about certain details – they are most likely to find the answer here.

[Mayra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted by this book from the very beginning. The Hampshire Stories by Joe Giampaolo is a beautiful set of stories that had touched my heart and my mind at the same time. I haven't read such a wonderful historical novel since I was in college. As an English teacher I've read many outstanding authors during teacher training college and Giampaolo reminded me of that great time in my life. Joe took me back to those lovely days in which my main duty was to enjoy books. His writing style, together with the illustrations in the book, made a perfect match to a sweet and gentle trip back in time. The everyday life events presented along the pages were so well written and the language chose suited the descriptions perfectly. I strongly recommend this book to any historical and romantic literature lover. I will certainly read it again soon and pass it on to my colleagues so that they can enjoy it themselves as well.

[Karyn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dive into The Life and Traditions of The 18th and 19th Century

The book is about Hampshire, a place in England. The author’s aim is to take the mind of the 21st-century person back in time, into a world that was simple, but still considerably harsh. The complexes of society were still very obvious, the rich, and the poor well separated and distinguished in society. The author brings up several concepts from the 19th century that is fast becoming become alien to us now. Romance, in the form of courtship and marriage. The largely Christian way of life in Old England, influenced every aspect of life in those days.
There’s also an inside look into the politics of those climes, the intricate interplay of power, pleasing the people, and jilting them as well.
The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series (Illustrated): Life and Literature in Nineteenth-Century England by Joe Giampolo, is one in a book series of three. A refreshing, and engaging read.

[Agustina Sureda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Giampolo writes short stories and novellas that are usually inspired by popular literary genres of 19th-century England. The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series is a book that, as the title shows, has different stories of the regular life people had back in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Different stories and characters are what inspired this novella with short tales, but with main topics like marriage, religion, jobs, and even politics.

I like this book! It has a number of stories where I was able to pick and choose, It describes in detail the daily lives of those times like their hobbies or habits. The characters vary and so are the issues, and it was fun to see how things were back then and how different things are now. An enlightening novel that covers this regency period where some readers might be surprised by the scandalous behavior the characters experience.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reader’s Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series written by Joe Giampaolo describes the context of the great compilation of narratives that compose the Hampshire Stories set in the 19th century in England. The book includes eight stories which describe the personal relationships and the social life of varied characters. All the events in these stories are framed by the daily life occurrences taking place in middle-class homes in the 1800s, where social rules, appearances and appropriacy were very important and dictated people's behaviour.
With this new book, the author provides a guide that helps readers better understand the history, traditions, literature and lifestyle of the 19th century. He also included very interesting illustrations belonging to the period.
I love history and historical novels, and I really enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it.

[Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge, huge fan of historical and regency romance that is why reading this book, A Reader's Companion to Hampshire Stories by Joe Giampaolo was an absolute joy. Although this was not a regency story book, the way it was written to inform readers as well as authors how couples work during this era is good enough. This actually made me want to grab a regency romance book after because the descriptions were just so vibrant and refreshing. I have learned a lot and I can actually relate to most of it because they are very evident from what I have read before-- the marriage set-ups, the politics, the hobbies men and women do, etc. All the things presented were interesting and made me realize that women in the past are a lot more different from women of today's generation. I definitely enjoyed this book!

[Alfredo R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete guide for reading 19th Century England Novels

“The Reader’s Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series” is a series written by Joe Giampaolo. This is a superb book that guided me while reading classic Victorian novels.

The book is divided in sections that are organised in topics such as marriage, leisure time, entertainment, music and many other categories. In addition, each section contains plenty of coloured pictures and drawings to illustrate the topic.

Reading Victorian novels is no longer hard with this fantastic series. I was able to understand Jane Austen’s book with this reader. For this reason, I give this book five stars and I encourage the author to keep working with literary periods like this one.

[Aparna Preethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This descriptive novel takes us on an enthusiastic journey to the social circumstances in 18th and 19th century England. The author has put on careful attention to making each instance as much remarkable for the readers. Simultaneously, it exists as both informative as well as a rare entertainer. Telling a tale giving concern of retaining 21st-century readers in a much-captivated mood to know in deep about the 19th-century lifestyle, culture, etc is really challenging and Joe Giampaolo has made it a golden feather in his cap.

This rare read gives much more than your expectations. Looking into its overall way of presenting, it is a wonderful historic read that a reader should not miss reading it.

[Märtha Custis · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any lover of period novels, the terminology of the era can be a bit hazy to understand at times. Author Joe Giampaolo however has the perfect solution to any reader’s quandary in his book The Reader’s Companion to The Hampshire Stories Series.
Providing fascinating historical background and insight into the times, Giampaolo explains the customs of the era described in many novels in detail.
As a lover of historical or period novels, I found the book to be immensely helpful and would have loved to have it as a reference during my university literature classes.
Overall, a delightful read, The Reader’s Companion to The Hampshire Stories Series is a great reference and one that will enhance your understanding of the customs of times gone by.

[Aneley Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning about England in the XVIII and XIX centuries.

The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series written by Joe Giampaolo is an amazing guide to the history, traditions and literature of 19th century England. This book contains some short stories that speak of courtships and weddings; the social call, dance and parlour games, the London season and many other customs of England in the 19th century.
In my opinion, this is a must read for all those who like novels set on that time! I like how the author shows that life in that time, apparently simple, was not really. There were different problems from now but they were problems after all. I honestly enjoyed it, it is very informative, educational and delightful at the same time. Highly recommend it!

[Nela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series by author Joe Giampaolo is the perfect complement to the readings which take place in the Nineteenth Century England, since it illustrates and informs about life, traditions and literature.
This book is not only educational, assisting to contextualize that period of time; but it is also amusing, as it comprehensively informs about interesting details and features in Regency and Victorian Times. In its second part, it offers an overview about British and Irish literature of the 1800s. And as a plus, the third part provides a List of the Most influential authors of the 19th Century with suggested books, which is really enriched to the volume.
I liked this book very much and I will certainly recommend it.

[Chico's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to the life in 19th Century England.

I give The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series a 5 out of 5. I very much enjoyed this book, it was a written account of everything that is to do with 19th century England. I loved the illustrations and the details about the jobs and how life was in that era in that part of the world. I would recommend this book to those who love this era and also those who aspire to write about it. It is very informative and well written to the point that I can almost imagine being in 19th century England. And the list of influential authors was very helpful too. Now, it is easier and more enjoyable to read those novels set in this era. I will keep this in my library as a reference book!

[Susel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book! The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Serie is basically a guide to the history, traditions and literature of beautiful 19th century in England.

I am a big fan of this period of time, and I really enjoyed learning about the social scene, and the different fashion styles and the different roles of man and women, at that time in history.

I think that Joe Giampaolo, has found a great way of writing about history, as he manages to make it both informative and entertaining at the same time. The illustrations found in this book are beautiful and just made the read a better experience.

I love this book and I truly recommend reading it!

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite genres to read is the Regency romances, inspired by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. Many have branched off their writings and continued the thrill and excitement of a different time and class of people. Joe Giampaola takes you behind the scenes long ago; while explaining what life was like and what was expected of the different classes. The Reader's Companion to Hampshire Stories Series is just as thrilling as you understand the rules that governed them. I found the games they played surprisingly scandalous, considering minor discretions marked a person's reputation for life in many books. This was well worth reading, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[S Tyty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reader's Companion to the Hampshire Stories Series is a book written in the form of a guide to the history, traditions and literature of 19th century England and it is made up of more than 80 illustrations of the period.
It is easy to know what the themes this narrative would cover before even opening it: courtship, wedding, costumes, traditions and music of the time, all of them portrayed in a concise and clear manner.
The illustrations are just from another world, they really take us to those times and they help us depict how life what during those days and they literally have the ability to take us back in time.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel takes place in the regency period, the England of the 18th and 19th century. As a reader who enjoys this type of book, I have to say I found these stories very charming and followed the daily lives of the characters and knowing typical games and such from that time, which I found very entertaining.

Author Joe Giampaolo touches very hard topics from that time and at the same time he portrays how simple life was in some aspects as well. And although it may seem crazy to relate to some of that, the beauty of this read has that. The scenarios can change but the beauty of living life has some connecting dots.

[Aubree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history, but sometimes, books can be filled with so much information that it is hard to follow and digest. I thought this book was very reader-friendly and the layout was easy to understand and interesting! I felt it was much more enjoyable learning about this time period, and I didn't need to keep re-reading sections to grasp the information! Would highly recommend it.