English Society in the Eighteenth Century

By: Roy Porter

Narrated by: Simon Vance

In this boldly drawn portrait of 18th-century England, Roy Porter defines a nation from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered run the gamut, covering diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals, bordellos, plays, paintings, and work and wages.

Roy Porter's new edition of his celebrated book of English cultural history was revised in light of changes in the climate of debate that occurred in the seven years after its first publication.

©1990 Roy Porter (P)2005 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Vivid, witty, and entertaining...easily the best general account of eighteenth-century society that we have." ( New York Review of Books)

love english society novels

Would you listen to English Society in the Eighteenth Century again? Why?

yes - very curious about this era in English society

What was one of the most memorable moments of English Society in the Eighteenth Century?

the monarchy

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I always try to find books read by Simon Vance because he is such a perfectionist

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

it was almost all very interesting

Any additional comments?

I would like to find other novels of similar subject

Too much detail

Although I'm interested in the subject, it went into too much detail for me as a layman historian. It might be good for the scholars who thrive on the details that most of us aren't interested in.

Academic as heck

This is a wonderful source for academics studying the 18th century. By no means light reading, it is incredibly dense historical information compiled into one source. wonderful for further discussion on social hierarchy and the increasing wealth gap of the times!

Worth multiple listens

This is the third time that I have listened to this social history of the 18th century. I like it just as much now, as the first. It is very much like the time traveler books by Ian Mortimer without the kitsch. For students and lovers of history alike.

Excellent

Porter's books were always good and this is no exception. Themes are examined across a number of aspects of eighteenth century English History and Porter manages to mix entertainment and education. This was a set text when I was covering this period at University last year

Excellent entertaining and thorough.

Covered all aspects. Well researched. Was actually fun to listen to. Learned a great deal. Fast paced and not boring history. Recommend it.

Fantastic and Interesting

This is a very immersive introduction to the period and while there is a lot of information presented, you do, by the end of it have a great understanding of the extravagance, pride and poverty of this time in English history. It is not for those that would rather a narrative experience and are looking for one cohesive point of view (however any historian will tell you there is no such thing). I found it eye opening and interesting, from the revelation that hanging 7 year olds was seen as just (the case of a little girl who stole a petticoat) to the extravagance of English politics. A worthwhile experience, I came away with a well rounded view of the time.

Great in depth study of English SOCIETY in 1700s

Where does English Society in the Eighteenth Century rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

it is definitely in the top 10 percentile

What did you like best about this story?

very well written and well narrated. I disagree that that there is too much detail as others have said. I think it is very well written and gives quite a lot of depth of understanding and information as well

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

very good. I enjoyed his narration and definitely will like him to narrate more audio books that I might be interested in.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

it is a book that would want to come back to again and again to get more information and ideas "downloaded" on this very important century .

Any additional comments?

highly recommend it

Disappointing

THe book is presented as being thoughtfully laid out, specific subjects to be presented in each chapter etc..
Hardly. Instead I found it distractingly choppy and disorganized. It was impossible to learn much from this as a cohesive thought or point is rarely completed before another 'quote' from yet another individual is interjected. I have decided it is not worth my time to finish it.

A Critique of a Period

I found this book narrow in scope--a critique of the period, rather than an attempt to put the period in context. For example, the section on women had one main point: women had little power in England in the eighteenth century. Hardly a surprise. The author returns again and again to the point that the government was corrupt, and that the class system was dominant. I accept the premise--but was hoping for a broader discussion of art, music, philosophy, literature, architecture---all windows into a deeper understanding of history.