Book description
‘I remember being much amused last year, when landing at Calais,’ wrote
Mrs Frances Trollope in her 1835 book, Paris and the Parisians, ‘at the
answer made by an old traveller to a novice ... making his first voyage.
“What a dreadful smell!” said the uninitiated stranger ... “it is the
smell of the continent, sir!” replied the man of experience. And so it
was.’
Historians James Munson and Richard Mullen examine just what it was
about the smell of the continent that so attracted British travellers in
the hundred years from the fall of Napoleon to the outbreak of the First
World War. It was the first time in history that the British, en masse,
set out to discover Europe. Drawing on contemporary accounts, diaries
and letters, Munson and Mullen offer a compelling portrait of the
Victorians abroad, many of them convinced that their country was not
only vastly superior but also the envy of the world.
From the glowing review coverage:
'Pure charm' A. N. Wilson, Reader's Digest
'An entertaining and sometimes surprising, thought-provoking history'
Sunday Times
James Munson and Richard Mullen have collaborated on a number of
books and both work for Contemporary Review
.
