Regency England lives on in novels and romances, making nonfiction about these significant years so vital to get a more realistic sense of the era. I always forget that the Regency period was when Spencer Perceval was killed, the only time a British prime minister was assassinated, when computers were first thought of, authors like Austen, Byron, and Shelley write, and British society struggled to grapple with massive social-economic gaps. Overall, this history is expansive and approachable, and definitely worth reading for those interesting in exploring the Regency period outside of fiction. ( )

DNF

Wow, this book was really truly boring despite the great title. I could read about three pages before falling asleep. Highly recommended for insomniacs.

I think this is the 5th book in my life that I have DNF'd . . .but seriously, I think it would take me a year to read the 300 pages at the rate I was going. TOO MANY names with no explanation of who the people were . . .

I read so many things set during the Regency period, I thought it was high time I learned something about it. This book was a nice overview of different aspects of that 9-year period: the art, military history, scientific and technological advances, and the society. A lot happened during that time, and the names of many of the major influencers of the time are still recognized today—Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Beau Brummell, Charles Babbage, John Constable, Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, etc.
The author doesn’t spend a ton of time with any subtopics of the broader topics mentioned in each chapter heading. Judging by his notes in the back of the book, each of these have been covered in more depth in other books. For me, it was just what I was looking for to get a feel for the time period and some context for the novels I read.
The Regent, later George IV, was not a popular or much-admired guy, but I liked this summary the author gave of him in the end.

Despite his undisputed failures, the Regent fostered a climate of intellectualism, patronage, and connoisseurship. More than any other member of the royal family either before or since, he believed that novelists, poets, singers, historians, actors, painters, musicians, scientists, architects, and engineers mattered, and during his Regency his well-known enthusiasm for the arts and sciences helped to energize the most extraordinary outpouring of creativity in British history.

Recommended for Regency period newbies like I am. If you’re already an expert on this biz, or if you’re looking for an in-depth look at a specific aspect or person from this period, it won’t be as satisfying. ( )

It covers much of the things happening during the Regency. There was a lot going on in that decade. The views on sex, Jane Austen's writing, Byron's life and writing, Mary Shelley and the creation of Frankenstein. Some parts are dry others are very interesting. ( )

ספר מרתק, מבדר ופוקח עיניים על תקופה של עשרים שנה בהיסטוריה האנגלית שההשפעה התרבותיתי והמדעית שלה הייתה גדולה בהרבה אולי מכל תקופה דומה אחרת ושעליה לא ידעתי דבר קודם לכן. ( )