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Library Journal Review

With a scope as vast as the period it encompasses, the latest in this series explores the changes in life in Britain during the six decades encompassing the Romantics to the early Victorians. Every generation brings with it technological, scientific, and artistic changes, but this era seemed to produce new and exciting developments in all aspects of existence. Industrial advances, expansion of cities and their populations, and the increase in education and literacy that accompanied scientific achievements stand alongside the surge in creativity in literature, painting, and architecture. In word and image, the face of Britain was thus changed forever. The essays cover all these issues and more, examining the essentials of British life. An extensive bibliography and excellent index make this handsome book an interesting and useful work.-- Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This volume follows the successful format of others in its opening essay by setting the historical, cultural, and literary tones of a notably turbulent and revolutionary period in British history. The impact of the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution on English society and the arts serves as a central theme of the entire text. The formulaic articles on literature, the fine arts, architecture, and music show how and why the arts reinforced one another and changed during the period from 1785 to 1851. However, because of the prolific accomplishments by the English Romantic writers, the essay on literature often becomes a mere listing of authors and titles. In contrast, the essays on Edinburgh, the Athenaeum, graphic satire, and the enclosure movement provide new insights into the Romantic and early Victorian period. The appendix, with its extensive reading list and brief biographical entries, serves as a quick, useful reference. College and public libraries. -R. T. Matthews, Michigan State University