London's Pleasures: From Restoration to Regency

by David Kerr Cameron

An insight into the pleasures and pastimes of Londoners between the Restoration of 1660 and the beginning of World War I. Thematically arranged chapters discuss the violent and nowadays unpalatable pleasures of the age, such as the bear-baiting spectacles of Bankside, cock-fighting in St James's Park, and the attraction of public hangings on Tower Hill. These events played alongside more innocent amusements such as the burgeoning of public pleasure gardens, exhibitions, bazaars, theatres and music halls, and the pivotal importance of the capital's coffee houses. As the 20th century dawned, the author shows what happened as society, or some sections of it at least, turned ultra-respectable and forced many of the capital's activities underground.

Genres: History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

He may have spent most of his life as a journalist in London, but David Kerr Cameron never forgot the rigours of farming life in his native Aberdeenshire, which he wrote about with un-sentimental vividness in his three best-loved and award-winning books. The Ballad and the Plough (1978), Willie Gavin, Crofter Man (1980), and The Cornkister Days (1984), all of which won Scottish Arts Council Awards, gave the social history of the North-East a readability that drew comparisons with the work of the late John Prebble.

Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituari...

Reviews

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book for researchers. At first I thought that 1660 to the late 1800's would be too long a period to discuss specific aspects of London culture, as a lot of books have problems which chronology when they go the thematic book, but the author did a really good job of putting a lot of material together without things getting too mixed up. Despite having read a ton of books on this subject, there was a lot of new information to be found here, and the multitude of engravings and prints from the period helped and made the book more fun.