In this boldly drawn portrait of eighteenth-century England, Roy Porter defines a nation from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered run the gamut, covering diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals, bordellos, plays, paintings, and work and wages. This text's broad scope makes it a must-have for any lover of English history, or history in general. Written in a reader-friendly manner, it is the perfect companion book to any eighteenth-century novel, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the times.

Roy Porter's new edition of his celebrated book of English cultural history was revised in light of changes in the climate of debate that occurred in the seven years after its first publication.