A Visitor's Guide Series

An “utterly brilliant” and deeply researched guide to the sights, smells, endless wonders, and profound changes of nineteenth century British history (Books Monthly, UK).   Step into the past and experience the world of Victorian England, from clothing to cuisine, toilet arrangements to transport—and everything in between. A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England is “a brilliant guided tour of Charles Dickens’s and other eminent Victorian Englishmen’s England, with insights into where and where not to go, what type of people you’re likely to meet, and what sights and sounds to watch out for . . . Utterly brilliant!” (Books Monthly, UK).   Like going back in time, Higgs’s book shows armchair travelers how to find the best seat on an omnibus, fasten a corset, deal with unwanted insects and vermin, get in and out of a vehicle while wearing a crinoline, and avoid catching an infectious disease. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book blends accurate historical details with compelling stories to bring alive the fascinating details of Victorian daily life. It is a must-read for seasoned social history fans, costume drama lovers, history students, and anyone with an interest in the nineteenth century.

A fresh and colorful look at Shakespeare’s London published on the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.   In A Visitor’s Guide to Shakespeare’s London, readers can explore the streets of Shakespeare’s London and see the sights he saw, while learning how people ate, drank, misbehaved, and had fun. You will discover what it was like to be a tourist in the sixteenth century from the voices of people who came to London during Shakespeare’s day. You will travel with them to the major tourist sights and will learn how to get about, where to stay and what to eat and drink. You will visit the royal palaces, London’s famous gardens, the Tower of London and Old St Paul’s Cathedral. You will discover the pleasure of London’s theaters, the sports people played and the shopping they enjoyed. As now, London was famous as a shopping destination. But beware, London is full of people who will pick your pockets or trick you out of your money and you are constantly at risk from the plague or even the polluted water supply. Most of the London Shakespeare knew has been destroyed by fire, war and developers, but a surprising number of buildings and places he knew still survive. The book contains guided tours that allow you to sample the atmosphere and see the sights Tudor tourists enjoyed. This title will appeal to Shakespeare lovers, social history fans, fiction and drama lovers, students, and anyone with an interest in this fascinating era of London’s history.  

“Wilkes makes the world of Jane Austen come to life . . . from travel to fashion, shopping, leisure, and, of course, finding a mate” (Britain Express).   Immerse yourself in the vanished world inhabited by Austen’s contemporaries. Packed with detail and anecdotes, this is an intimate exploration of how the middle and upper classes lived from 1775, the year of Austen’s birth, to the coronation of George IV in 1820. Sue Wilkes skillfully conjures up all aspects of daily life within the period, drawing on contemporary diaries, illustrations, letters, novels, travel literature, and archives.    Were all unmarried affluent men really “in want of a wife”? Where would a young lady seek adventure? Would “taking the waters” at Bath and other spas kill or cure you? Was Lizzy Bennet bitten by bed-bugs while traveling? What would you wear to a country ball or a dance at Almack’s? Would Mr. Darcy have worn a corset? What hidden horrors lurked in elegant Regency houses?   “A delight. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that paints such a vivid picture of daily life in late 18th and early 19th century England. It makes a perfect companion for Austen’s beloved novels.” —The Heritage Traveller   “A thoroughly engaging—and very informative—‘eyewitness’ guide to everything from medical matters to modes of travel.” —Joceline Bury, Jane Austen’s Regency World   “Written as if to a first-time traveler in the Regency . . . an inviting read . . . a perfect gift for every Janeite friend and family member.” —Austenprose   “A worthy contribution to the field of Austen social history and uses the mundane realities of life to illuminate the reader’s experience.” —Sensibilities  

A guidebook for those planning a tour of this key battleground of the First World War.   The First World War battlefields to the north of Arras—including Vimy Ridge—are among the most famous and most visited sites on the Western Front, rivaled only by those around Ypres and the Somme, and this clearly written, highly illustrated guide is the ideal introduction to them. Visitors can trace for themselves the course of each battle across the modern landscape and gain a fascinating insight into the nature of the fighting in the area—and the wider conflict across the Western Front—throughout the war.   The book covers the key battles fought in the northern sector of the Arras front, including the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge and battles at Villers au Bois, Oppy Wood, and Gavrelle. Expert guides Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland have devised a series of routes that can be walked, biked, or driven, explaining the fighting that occurred at each place in vivid detail. They record what happened, where it happened, and why, and point out the sights that remain for the visitor to see. Their guidebook is essential reading for visitors who wish to enhance their understanding of the war on the Western Front.

Many guidebooks cover the Somme offensive in 1916, the five-month struggle that has come to be seen as one of the defining episodes in the history of the fighting on the Western Front during the First World War. But no previous guide has concentrated on the first day, 1 July 1916, when the British Army suffered around 60,000 casualties. That is why, on the centenary of that great battle, this new volume from Pen & Sword is so timely. In a series of tours that can be walked, biked or driven, expert authors Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland take the visitor along the eighteen-mile front line that was the starting point for the Somme offensive, from Gommecourt in the north to Maricourt in the south. The tours allow the visitor to trace the entire course of the opening day on the ground. In vivid detail the authors describe what happened, where it happened and why and which units were involved, and point out the sights that remain for the visitor to see.

“The author has done an outstanding job of making the colorful Georgian world come alive in all its contradictory, bawdy, and utterly fascinating glory.” —Britain Express   Could you successfully be a Georgian? Find yourself immersed in the pivotal world of Georgian England, exciting times to live in. Everything was booming—the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the nascent Empire—in an era inhabited by Mary Shelley, the Romantic poets, and their contemporaries. Find everything you need to know in order to survive as a time traveler from today, undetected among the ordinary people: how to dress, behave yourself in public, earn a living, and find somewhere to live. Just as importantly, you will be given advice on how to stay on the right side of the law, and how to avoid getting seriously ill.   Monica Hall creatively evokes this bygone era, filling the pages of this book with all aspects of daily life within the period, calling upon diaries, illustrations, letters, poetry, prose, eighteenth century laws, and archives. This detailed account intimately explores the ever-changing lives of those who lived through Britain’s imperial prowess, the birth of modern capitalism, and the upheaval of the industrial revolution, major political reform, and class division.   “A fantastic piece of social history that fills in a huge number of gaps in our knowledge. First class entertainment and educational at the same time!” —Books Monthly

An illustrated and informative guide to the WWI battlefields south of Arras, France, including some of the most significant battles of 1917. Some of the most famous and frequently visited battlefields on the Western Front are just to the south of the Arras. These sites include Battery Valley and Observation Ridge, Telegraph Hill, Monchy-le-Preux, Wancourt, and Bullecourt. And this clearly written, highly illustrated guide is the ideal introduction to them. Expert guides Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland have devised a series of routes that can be walked, biked or driven, explaining the fighting that occurred at each place in vivid detail. They record what happened, where it happened and why, pointing out the sights that remain for the visitor to see. The featured itineraries allow visitors to trace the course of each battle across the modern landscape, gaining visceral insight into the nature of combat throughout the war.

In their second Visitor’s Guide to the 1916 Battle of the Somme Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland focus on the series of secondary battles that were key stages in the five-month struggle that followed the start of the offensive on 1 July. They take the visitor – and the reader – across the entire battlefield, covering in graphic detail sites where actions took place that are almost as famous as the Somme itself in the history of the First World War, including Mametz Wood, High Wood, Deville Wood, Guillemont, Ginchy, Pozieres and Flers. They also provide tours of the less-well-known but equally interesting sites which played important parts in the offensive as a whole. In a sequence of routes that can be walked, biked or driven they describe what happened in each place, identify the units involved, highlight the experience and exploits of individual soldiers, and point out the notable sights, monuments and cemeteries. This highly illustrated guidebook is essential reading for visitors who wish to enhance their understanding of the Battle of the Somme and the war on the Western Front. It is also the ideal companion volume to The First Day of the Somme: Gommecourt to Maricourt by the same authors.