Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune How Younger Sons Made Their Way in Jane Austen's England Rory Muir
- Price: £25.00
- Add to Basket Buy ebook
Share this page:
- Format:
- Hardback
- Publication date:
- 27 Aug 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780300244311
- Imprint:
- Yale University Press
- Dimensions:
- 384 pages: 235 x 156mm
- Illustrations:
- 8 pp color illus.
- Sales territories:
- world
Categories:
A portrait of Jane Austen’s England told through the career paths of younger sons—men of good family but small fortune
In Regency England the eldest son usually inherited almost everything while his younger brothers, left with little inheritance, had to make a crucial decision: what should they do to make an independent living? Rory Muir weaves together the stories of many obscure and well-known young men, shedding light on an overlooked aspect of Regency society. This is the first scholarly yet accessible exploration of the lifestyle and prospects of these younger sons.
In Regency England the eldest son usually inherited almost everything while his younger brothers, left with little inheritance, had to make a crucial decision: what should they do to make an independent living? Rory Muir weaves together the stories of many obscure and well-known young men, shedding light on an overlooked aspect of Regency society. This is the first scholarly yet accessible exploration of the lifestyle and prospects of these younger sons.
Rory Muir is a visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide and a renowned expert on British history. His books include Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon and his two-part biography of Wellington, which won the SAHR Templer Medal.
“Energetic and scholarly” — Paula Byrne, The Times
“Muir gives us plenty of detail — numbers recruited at different periods, premiums paid and salaries earned — he illuminates the hard facts with vignettes of actual lives lived” —Richard Francis, Spectator
“A readable book”— Jonathan Guthrie, Financial Times
“Meticulously researched and eminently readable”—Fergus Butler-Gallie, Literary Review
“Jane Austen's brothers are among the examples considered here, as the options are explored in fascinating detail” — Discover Britain
“[Rory Muir] writes eloquently and entertainingly about his subject matter, giving anecdotal detail alongside the financial, and so brings these men and their careers to life”— Matilda Harden, The Georgian
“Written with the light, engaging style, and deft balancing of detail, analysis and anecdote...Muir has achieved an admirable mastery of a wider-ranging topic, offering a ground-breaking comparative study of the career options that faced younger sons of the gentry.”—Zack White, Romance, Revolution & Reform
“Muir gives us plenty of detail — numbers recruited at different periods, premiums paid and salaries earned — he illuminates the hard facts with vignettes of actual lives lived” —Richard Francis, Spectator
“A readable book”— Jonathan Guthrie, Financial Times
“Meticulously researched and eminently readable”—Fergus Butler-Gallie, Literary Review
“Jane Austen's brothers are among the examples considered here, as the options are explored in fascinating detail” — Discover Britain
“[Rory Muir] writes eloquently and entertainingly about his subject matter, giving anecdotal detail alongside the financial, and so brings these men and their careers to life”— Matilda Harden, The Georgian
“Written with the light, engaging style, and deft balancing of detail, analysis and anecdote...Muir has achieved an admirable mastery of a wider-ranging topic, offering a ground-breaking comparative study of the career options that faced younger sons of the gentry.”—Zack White, Romance, Revolution & Reform
-
Bletchley Park and D-Day
David Kenyon£10.99 -
The Decline of Magic
Michael Hunter£11.99 -
The Fortunes of Francis Barber
Michael Bundock£11.99 -
The Story of the Country House
Clive Aslet£18.99 -
Tudor Textiles
Eleri Lynn£25.00 -
Tudor Fashion
Eleri Lynn£25.00 -
King Arthur
Nicholas J. Higham£10.99 -
English Medieval Embroidery
Clare Browne£25.00 -
Hot Protestants
Michael P. Winship£12.99 -
Richard III
Michael Hicks£12.99 -
The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes
Jonathan Rose£14.99 -
Palaces of Pleasure
Lee Jackson£10.99 -
The Multifarious Mr. Banks
Toby Musgrave£11.99 -
Northern Ireland
Feargal Cochrane£11.99 -
Empress
Miles Taylor£12.99 -
Dandy Style
Shaun Cole£25.00 -
Henry III
David Carpenter£14.99 -
Einstein on the Run
Andrew Robinson£10.99 -
Oblivion or Glory
David Stafford£10.99 -
The Walls Have Ears
Helen Fry£10.99