Old times : A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth century

Step back into the bustling streets of late‑eighteenth‑century London, where newsprint was as much a stage for gossip, fashion, and satire as it was a source of political updates. Drawing on daily newspapers from 1788 onward, the author weaves together a vivid mosaic of middle‑class amusements, social rituals, and everyday controversies, all captured in the witty prose and lively anecdotes of the era. Complementing the text are eighty‑eight carefully reproduced satirical prints that, while occasionally exaggerated, offer an authentic visual snapshot of the costumes, hairstyles, and manners that defined the period.

Designed for both the curious listener and the serious student of history, this collection illuminates the rhythms of a world before railways, telegraphs, and mass media. It reveals how Londoners filled their pages with ballroom reports, street fashions, and the occasional scandal, providing a rare window into the lived experience of a society on the brink of modernity. The result is an engaging portrait of a bygone age, rich with color, humor, and insight.