Do authors feel obligated to provide positive reviews of the work of other authors, or do they feel a stronger obligation to be honest about their opinion of the book they have just read? Find out for yourself as you read Cheryl Bolen’s review of the one and only biography of Mary Nisbet, the woman whose husband "liberated" the famed marbles from the Parthenon in Greece.
Continue reading “Mistress of the Elgin Marbles: A Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin”
Many modern newspapers carry a column titled News of the Weird. But weird behavior is not just a modern phenomenon. Below are some of my favorite Regency oddities:
Continue reading “News of the Weird, Regency Edition by Allison Lane”
In this Jubilee Year for Queen Elizabeth II, there has been much attention on the Queen and on all the Royal Family. In today’s article, Cheryl Bolen explains the intricacies of the titles granted to the sons of the British monarch, in the Georgian era and in modern times.
Continue reading “When a Prince Becomes a Royal Duke by Cheryl Bolen”
Continue reading “Assembly Room – Roundup of Regency posts by Angelyn Schmid”
It’s that time of year to think about a vacation/research trip to the UK.
Okay, any time of year is good, but many trips to the UK are in the late spring, summer, or early fall.
2012 is a very exciting year for the UK. With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Summer Olympics, make sure you’re up to date on what is happening where. My husband and I are heading to the northeast this spring, and we are keeping an eye on where the Olympic torch will be traveling. We hope to see it, but we also want to be aware of possible traffic restrictions. For information on events occurring in conjunction with the Jubilee, check sites such as or
Information on the Olympic events as well as route of the Olympic torch can be found at:
http://www.london2012.com/ or http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay-map
Please click the “Details” button for all the helpful details …
Continue reading “Traveling to the UK – What to Know Before You Go by Jo Ann Ferguson”
A cross-post from The Regency Redingote:
The English wake during the Regency had nothing to do with the ceremony which many people in westernized nations today observe in honor and memory of someone recently departed. In fact, wakes in England by the early nineteenth century were considered by many such profane and unruly events that there were many efforts being made to suppress them completely. By the time the former Prince Regent, George IV, died in 1830, at least a third of the wakes in England had been abolished or severely curtailed. Few survived past the end of the reign of his niece, Queen Victoria.
The origins and history of the English wake …
The sea has had such an impact on British history. It has protected the country so well that the saying goes that the last successful invasion of England was in 1066 (though there have been a lot of unsuccessful ones, which explains the many castles and fortified sites along the shore). The sea currents affect the weather, so you have palm trees in Cornwall and even in northern Scotland. It inspired the formation of a navy that created a worldwide empire and a maritime fleet that made London a center of industry and shipping and finance.
And it helped create a tourist industry that still thrives today. What would 19th century bank holidays have been without a trip to Blackpool for the lower classes and to Brighton for the upper?