My Books

Coming in May and available for pre-order now:

Beyond the ballroom, the Regency was a feast for the senses with parties, pageantry and spectacles in nearly every aspect of life. From the illegitimate theatre to major public works projects, military parades, and blood sport, Regency people were inundated by larger-than-life productions. Beneath these entertainments were tensions between Enlightenment and Romanticism, social classes, and urban and rural life.

Following on from her groundbreaking work on Regency Masquerade balls, Glover uses primary sources and academic literature to trace the history of spectacle in Regency England, drawing on a diversity of examples. Going beyond the headlines and the popular narrative, she showcases how, underneath public amusements, were the seeds of revolution and reform that would have a lasting impact on Britain and the world.

 

The 18th-century masquerade didn’t die at the dawn of the new century. Instead, spectacle helped these risqué events achieve new grandeur. From indoor balloon displays to lavish food and wine, masquerades in the early 1800s were hyper-real sites of consumption. Dressed in dominoes, character costumes, and fancy dress, the fashionable and titled of London society flocked to these events in the hundreds to thousands to entertain and be entertained. Amidst the bacchanalian, motley events were signs and symbols that masquerade balls were about more than a good time.

In the first comprehensive look at early 19th-century British masquerades, Glover uses primary sources to identify venues, décor, performers, costumes, and other details about public and private masquerades.

Masquerades flourished from London to far-flung imperial strongholds. Comparing the details over the long Regency, Glover teases out common themes and then examines them through the lens of national identity, cultural appropriation, and gender. This research sheds new light on Regency people, culture, and society and on what we know about the British masquerade.

Readers are saying: “fascinating read and it really opened the doors to see what masquerades were really like in the era of Bridgerton and other of my favorite period dramas”

“I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the social history of the Regency period, especially those curious about the cultural and performative aspects of elite society.  It’s a valuable resource for researchers..”

“This fascinating work of scholarship is a feast for the imagination. The level of detail is incredible; the author definitely did her research!… it is a must-read for anyone who enjoys reading or writing about the Regency era in England.”

Order now  And if you enjoyed, please consider leaving a review — it helps readers find me!

 

My short spoof “Twilight at Northanger” also appears in the hilarious anthology of bad Austen tributes: