The Imaginary Autocrat: Beau Nash and the Invention of Bath

by John Eglin

The story of how Richard Nash, a self-made man from Swansea, who became the Master of Ceremonies in Bath in 1705, made it the most fashionable place in Britain This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1861973020
• ISBN13: 9781861973023
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Profile Books(GB)
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant

An authentic and well written experience of eighteenth century Bath. An absolute treasure to own. A triumph.

excellent work of scholarship

Eglin's book is an excellent addition to eighteenth-century scholarship, especially on the ever fascinating topic of Bath. He sets the record straight on a number of issues regarding Nash, whose self-manufactured celebrity has helped to obscure the historical record. Previous biographers have relied on dubious sources--namely, earlier biographers--who have frequently simply rehashed old anecdotes and stories without proper scholarly attention. Eglin corrects this trend by delving deep into archival material such as collections of letters and period newspapers. Although written with rigorous scholarship, Eglin's style is not studded with difficult jargon or stuffed with ten-cent words. A fun read for the armchair historian as well as a valuable addition to period scholarship, Eglin's work presents true value for money--if a university press had published this work it would be twice the cost. This book is well worth the purchase.