The Grand Tour
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 university: 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.

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The Grand Tour
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 university: 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.

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The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour

by Mike Rendell
The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour

by Mike Rendell

Paperback

$14.00 
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Overview

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 university: 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.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781784424954
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 05/24/2022
Series: Shire Library
Pages: 64
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

Mike Rendell has written on a range of eighteenth-century topics, including a dozen books about the gentry, the age of piracy, and sexual scandals. Based in Dorset, UK, he also travels extensively giving talks on various aspects of the Georgian era.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Along the Way

From the Great Collectors …

… To the Souvenir Hunters

Artists and Patronage

The English Country House

Women on Tour

Drawbacks and Downsides

Further Reading

Places to Visit

Index

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