Daily Life in Georgian England as Reported in the Gentleman’s Magazine

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Year:
Pages:388
ISBN:0-7734-7351-3
978-0-7734-7351-5
Price:$239.95 + shipping
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This is a fully annotated scholarly anthology of selected excerpts from the Gentleman’s Magazine concerning topics of crime, medicine, science and natural history, archaeology, religion, parliamentary reporting, the American Colonies, the French Revolution, riots and radicalism, and literary criticism. Established in 1731 and generally considered the first major magazine in England, it constitutes an enormous and scarcely tapped source for scholarly investigation of Hanoverian culture and society. After a general introduction, nine chapters contain annotated excerpts from the first hundred years of publication, arranged topically, chosen to cover the widest possible range of aspects of Georgian life.

Reviews

“Scholars in a variety of disciplines will find this collection enormously helpful and enjoyable. . . . This collection of the serious and banal, the credible and the fantastic, not only makes the collection a delight to read, but also allowed de Montluzin to present a complex cross section of Georgian culture. Encountering contemporary accounts of the supposed capture of a merman and the all-too-authentic earthquake in Lisbon, the reader gains insight on a cultural milieu that tends to get lost under the rigors of disciplinary inquiry. . . . an admirable job of selecting readings that will appeal to a wide variety of scholars. There are contemporary accounts of important historical events, including the announcement of Edward Jenner’s vaccination for smallpox, the rebellion of 1745, the voyage of the Endeavor, the mutiny aboard the Bounty, the battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Gordon Riots. . . . De Montluzin’s work evidences an attention to textual detail usually reserved for standard critical editions. Because of its sound scholarly foundation, the collection is much more than a hodge-podge of curious readings. It is a truly valuable tool for serious researchers, one that meets the highest standards of responsible scholarship.” – Christopher D. Johnson

“Professor de Montluzin’s authoritative introduction to the magazine and hugely enjoyable selection from Sylvanus Urban’s panoramic view of Georgian England will be an essential addition to both libraries and archives.” – Julian Pooley FSA, The Nichols Archive Project

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