A fascinating look at a truly exceptional period in history. While overshadowed by the Napoleonic Wars on one side and staid Victorianism on the other, the brief period known as the Regency was a time of innovation and cultural development that doesn't often get enough attention (at least, not outside period films and romance literature). Morrison shows you how the period came to be a sort of bubble amidst other, longer periods that we tend to focus on more, and the Regency introduced changes in the social fabric of Europe, as well as literature, art, science, and other fields where Regency contributions have been overlooked or forgotten.

This is a good general history of the Regency era. The author presents the people and events that make up the Regency era and inhabit your favorite historical novels. I enjoyed reading it. Illustrations accompany the text. It was not a dry book but a quick easy read. Enjoy

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It's not an academic history of the period, but it is perfect for context. Quite frankly, it is a lot of fun! Morrison covers literature as expected, and Wellington and Napoleon and the wars of the day. He also looks at the domestic politics of the Regency, and the abolition of slavery. Low culture and high culture alike feature, not to mention the fashion of the day. Morrison has a tall order to cover the entirety of the Regency, and he does an amazing job of doing it. in.

The Regency isn't an overly long period, but there are some fascinating characters that populate it. I think what sets this book apart is that we learn about other figures of the period that are often forgotten. I also enjoy that it covers all of the UK, and even parts of the Continent and North America. It's not just focused on London or Windsor, or any one place. When I think of the Regency, I think of London and I think of Bath. But the changes that happened in the Regency also happened in Manchester and Edinburgh and Cambridge and everywhere else, and Morrison does a fantastic job at conveying that.

I was puzzled, at first, by this book: why in heaven's name does it start with crime, punishment, and riots? The violent political backdrop of the Regency is certainly important, but starting there—in a somewhat academic style no less—immediately excluded this book from being what I thought it perhaps was: a narrative primer of the period. As I pressed on through several sections, I realized it was not that. This is in fact a book dense with interesting detail pulled from primary sources, but I began to enjoy it only when I realized that it is neither intended as a chronological history nor a comprehensive social one, but is, rather, a grab bag of small (regrettably unlabeled!) sections that can be read essentially in any order. It suffers from not having its concept explained in the introduction. That said, while this review sounds critical, I would highly recommend it for a student of the era who already knows the basics and wants to drill down deeper into a diverse spread of topics. It does not paint history with a broad brush, nor is it intensely focused, but it is full of wonderful detail to spark the imagination.

Regency England (1811-1820) is one of the time periods most favored for historical fiction and movies. It is the time of the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Byron and Shelley, Austen and Scott. In The Regency Years, Robert Morrison aims to give the general reader an in-depth look at this short, but important, time span. He argues that the Regency period plants the seeds for the modern age we think of being ushered in by the Victorians.

Morrison does an excellent job of examining both the positive and the negative parts of Regency life. The grandeur and beauty live side by side with the excesses and squalor. Chapters cover economics, social reforms, political strife, literature, science, colonialism and war, sex and entertainment. While the majority of The Regency Years does not contain information that is new to Regency history devotees, Morrison presents it in a way that ties together aspects of Regency life in new and interesting ways. Quotes from letters, diaries, and references to popular literature create a well-rounded and well-researched history.

Fast-paced and written in a lively and engaging style, The Regency Years is an excellent history for readers beginning to study the time period, and a detailed, delightful read for those looking to round out their knowledge of this fascinating time period.