The Grand Tour

by Mike Rendell

An introduction to the raucous yet educational 'gap year' tours of Europe taken by wealthy British graduates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The Grand Tour, the eighteenth-century's precursor to the gap year, was a rite of passage for young aristocrats fresh out of it was a tour of Europe ostensibly taken to absorb culture, knowledge, and appreciation for the arts; but was also often a gateway to womanizing and debauchery. This book looks at how the tour developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, examining what the young tourists got up to on their foreign travels – how they acquired 'polish' and knowledge of art, architecture, and opera. It looks at how they developed a passion for collecting, and how they applied those interests to fit out what became one of the triumphs of the eighteenth century – the English country house.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Once upon a time, a long while ago, I was a lawyer, Then I came to my senses and packed it up to become a historian - more specifically, to become a historian specializing in Britain in the Georgian Era. I was helped by the fact that my family have kept boxes and boxes of letters, diaries and general ephemera from the 18th Century and I decided to write them up as a "Journal of a Georgian Gentleman" - a social history of the times seen through the eyes of my great great great great grandfather.
I illustrated the book with amazingly intricate paper cut outs made by my ancestor - and followed up my first book with one specifically on 18th Century paper cutting.
Then followed one on Bristol Blue Glass - a gorgeous full-blue tableware made from adding cobalt oxide to the manufacturing process. Other books will follow as time permits, but all will be on one aspect or another of the Georgian period.

Reviews

[Lara]

die Colin Bridgerton Tour

[Samuel Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshingly fun nonfiction. It’s short but to the point, broad but not lacking in specific examples. It fits the exact tone I would want in a book about the Tour and is riddled with great, often funny, paintings and drawings. There’s definitely more to discuss on the topic but this nailed the length, leaving me satisfied and not feeling like I missed out on anything.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely written with some lovely photos. I’d have liked if it was longer and also a bit more info on the racier side of the Grand Tour.

[Robert Poortinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply a great outline of the grand tour!