A fascinating book to keep by the bed for a quick dip into research. (I've heard it said that not every detail in this book is actually accurate, although I don't have enough knowledge of the Regency/Georgian/Victorian period to know for sure. Just a caveat in case you base all your research for your next blockbuster ROmance on this book alone.)

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Frankly I didn't think much of it. I know something about this subject and while I didn't actually find anything inaccurate the information is incomplete, and much of it is presented in a confusing way. An example is the small section on weights and measures. It does a decent job of describing what pecks and bushels etc are, but when explaining distance it says that the mile consists of 5,280 feet and mentions that the furlong (660 feet) comes between the foot and the mile. No mention is made of the yard! A yard is 3 feet of course and a "chain" which was a standard measure for road and railway builders(who used a real chain) was 22 yards and there are 10 chains in a furlong and 8 furlongs in a mile.

Having said that it would be a very useful source of information for any one who is confused about things like Michaelmass and when "the season" was, though if you want complete information this is only a start.

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I absolutely LOVE this book and wouldn't part with my copy for the world. It is the go-to volume for all things Victorian. Well worth actually buying if you're interested in that period.

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Only read parts as reference for a term paper - but the parts were good!

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