Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England
Having read little about Regency England, that period at the start of the 19th century where King George III sank into insanity, I learned much from this thin volume that centers on the rule by the Prince Regent (the future William IV) between 1810 and 1820.
While the last few years of the 18th century and the opening two or three decades of the 19th saw Great Britain vanquish Napoleon, it was also a period of scandal and decline for the British aristocracy and, with the start of the Industrial Revolution, also a time of growing social unrest and reaction (it is here the Luddites arise to protest the coming machine and power age), followed by the stirrings of reform.
Lively, bright and fast-paced, this slim volume was a delight to read.