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This collection of narratives contains vivid accounts of the varied landscapes, built environment and customs encountered by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century travellers in the British Isles and Europe. Some were wealthy individuals on the Grand Tour, while others were travelling on business, for pleasure, in pursuit of better health or simply to escape trouble at home.

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61 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Travel, Europe

Page 3 of 4

Autobiography of Miss Cornelia Knight
  • Lady Companion to the Princess Charlotte of Wales
  • Volume 1
  • Ellis Cornelia Knight
  • Edited by John William Kaye
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1861
  • This two-volume Autobiography by Cornelia Knight (1757–1837) was published in 1861. It was complied by the military historian Sir John Kaye from her journals and a memoir based on them, written late in life and remaining incomplete at her death. Cornelia Knight, the daughter of an admiral, was highly educated: she knew ten languages, was skilled at painting and drawing, and published novels and poetry. In 1813 she was appointed to the household of Princess Charlotte of Wales. In 1814, the Prince Regent dismissed all his daughter's attendants, and Knight returned to a life of literature and European travel. Volume 1 covers her childhood, time spent in Italy with Sir William and Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson, her appointment as companion to Princess Charlotte, the princess's refusal, in 1814, to marry the Prince of Orange, and the subsequent events which led to Knight's dismissal.

A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq., from 1831–1847
  • Comprising Reminiscences of Social and Political Life in London and Paris during that Period
  • Volume 3
  • Thomas Raikes
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1857
  • Diarist Thomas Raikes (1777–1848) was an Old Etonian whose social world included some of the most influential people of his day. Raikes was no politician - he had an established reputation as a 'dandy' - and he spent much of his time in gentlemen's clubs in London, especially the Carlton and White's. He was ostensibly employed by his father, a merchant and later governor of the Bank of England, and was married with four children. His reputation as a man about town was confirmed by the posthumous publication of these diary extracts, in four volumes from 1856 to 1857; they focus on his time abroad, mostly in Paris. Volume 3 starts in mid-1836 in Paris and covers the period until autumn 1839, during which Raikes both comments on political upheaval in Britain and travels through France, Prussia and Italy, observing European society and politics.

A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq., from 1831–1847
  • Comprising Reminiscences of Social and Political Life in London and Paris during that Period
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Raikes
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1856
  • Diarist Thomas Raikes (1777–1848) was an Old Etonian whose social world included some of the most influential people of his day. Raikes was no politician - he had an established reputation as a 'dandy' - and he spent much of his time in gentlemen's clubs in London, especially the Carlton and White's. He was ostensibly employed by his father, a merchant and later governor of the Bank of England, and was married with four children. His reputation as a man about town was confirmed by the posthumous publication of these diary extracts, in four volumes from 1856 to 1857; they focus on his time abroad, mostly in Paris. Volume 2 covers the period from 1835 to mid-1836, and begins with Raikes in Paris awaiting news of the British elections, while meeting and observing diplomats, politicians and socialites from France and elsewhere in Europe.

A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq., from 1831–1847
  • Comprising Reminiscences of Social and Political Life in London and Paris during that Period
  • Volume 4
  • Thomas Raikes
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1857
  • Diarist Thomas Raikes (1777–1848) was an Old Etonian whose social world included some of the most influential people of his day. Raikes was no politician - he had an established reputation as a 'dandy' - and he spent much of his time in gentlemen's clubs in London, especially the Carlton and White's. He was ostensibly employed by his father, a merchant and later governor of the Bank of England, and was married with four children. His reputation as a man about town was confirmed by the posthumous publication of these diary extracts, in four volumes from 1856 to 1857; they focus on his time abroad, mostly in Paris. Volume 4 begins in 1840, with Raikes in Paris. He finally returns to England in July 1844, and re-enters London society before setting off for a brief trip to Ireland. The diary ends in 1847.

Autobiography of Miss Cornelia Knight
  • Lady Companion to the Princess Charlotte of Wales
  • Volume 2
  • Ellis Cornelia Knight
  • Edited by John William Kaye
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1861
  • This two-volume Autobiography by Cornelia Knight (1757–1837) was published in 1861. It was complied by the military historian Sir John Kaye from her journals and a memoir based on them, written late in life and remaining incomplete at her death. Cornelia Knight, the daughter of an admiral, was highly educated: she knew ten languages, was skilled at painting and drawing, and published novels and poetry. In 1813 she was appointed to the household of Princess Charlotte of Wales. In 1814, the Prince Regent dismissed all his daughter's attendants, and Knight returned to a life of literature and European travel. In Volume 2, Knight continues her account of her dismissal, and a later meeting with the Princess, now happily married (though she was shortly to die in childbirth). Knight spent another twenty years in the court circles of Europe: an appendix gives further extracts from her journals and her 'anecdote book'.

A Residence on the Shores of the Baltic
  • Described in a Series of Letters
  • Elizabeth Rigby
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    19 August 2010
    First published in:
    1841
  • When Elizabeth Rigby (1809–1893) embarked on her travels to the Baltic states in 1838, she was already a published author. She was to play a significant role as a writer and public figure throughout the nineteenth century. Originally published in 1841 as two separate volumes, this book is a compilation of letters written to her mother during her journey to Estonia. Travelling alone was an unusual undertaking for a single woman at the time, and here she demonstrates her ability to provide detailed descriptions of the life and places she experiences. The first volume describes her journey to Reval (Tallinn) in Estonia, where she will stay with her sister. The second offers her fascinating insights into the political and social life of Estonia in the mid-nineteenth century, combining personal observations and historical facts. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=rigbel

Travels in Italy, between the Years 1792 and 1798, Containing a View of the Late Revolutions in that Country
  • Also a Supplement, Comprising Instructions for Travelling in France
  • Volume 1
  • Mariana Starke
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    09 September 2010
    First published in:
    1802
  • Mariana Starke (c.1762–1838) published this work in 1802, launching her career as a travel writer. The work, consisting of twenty-five letters spread over two volumes, describes the political situation in Italy after the first Napoleonic campaigns and offers practical guidance for tourists visiting Italy's cultural sites. Volume 1 contains sixteen letters: the first seven describe Starke's experience of the Napoleonic conquest and the following nine describe the architecture, paintings and sculptures of Pisa, Florence, Siena, Rome, Naples, Bologna and Venice. The work quickly became popular as it took into account the increasing trend for less affluent families to travel abroad. Starke offers a wealth of advice on affordable food, accommodation, transport and entertainment; her famous rating system, employing exclamation marks to signify the quality of a cultural site, was the precursor of the modern-day system of star-ratings. This is a classic of Georgian travel writing.

The Letters and Works of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
  • Volume 2
  • Mary Wortley Montagu
  • Edited by James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie Wharncliffe, William Moy Thomas
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1866
  • Self-taught in her father's library, the writer, satirist and poet Lady Mary Wortley Montagu had an inexhaustible appetite for travel and society. This third edition of her Letters and Works (1866) offers insight into the ambitions and frustrations of one of the most unconventional women of the eighteenth century. Volume 2 continues the collection of her humorous, sometimes acerbic writings with correspondence from her travels in Italy. Her letters from abroad during the heyday of the Grand Tour reveal a sociable woman enjoying the sights and society of Florence, Bologna, Venice, Naples and Rome, while hosting salons, and courting controversy. Enhanced by an engraved portrait of her husband, Edward Wortley Montagu, this volume completes an entertaining and informative collection of correspondence. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=montma

Letters on Iceland
  • Containing Observations Made during a Voyage Undertaken in the Year 1772 by Joseph Banks, Esq.
  • Uno von Troil
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1780
  • Swedish archbishop Uno von Troil (1746–1803) had a lifelong enthusiasm for travel and scientific study which led him to accompany the famous naturalist Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820) on an expedition to Iceland in 1772. Banks was already well known for his role as botanist on Captain Cook's first voyage on the Endeavour, which mapped the Pacific and uncharted parts of Australia and New Zealand. This book, first published in 1780, is a compilation of letters written by von Troil, documenting the tour of Iceland. The letters describe volcanos and other geological features as well as providing meteorological information and an account of the northern lights. Through his amiable and enthusiastic correspondence, von Troil paints a picture of the Icelandic people, their national character and culture, including their diet and occupations. Also featured is an account of the religious history of Iceland and the organisation of the Icelandic church.

Pictures from Italy
  • Charles Dickens
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    27 October 2011
    First published in:
    1846
  • In 1844 Charles Dickens (1812–70) and his family moved to Italy for a year, eventually settling in Genoa. This book, Dickens' second travel memoir, describes his experience of travelling through France and exploring Italy. Based on letters to friends, particularly John Forster, it was first published in instalments from January to March 1846 in the Daily News (a new radical newspaper which Dickens himself founded and briefly edited). The edition in book form reissued here appeared in May 1846. The main focus of the book is the northern regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Milan and Venice. It also includes substantial sections on Rome and Naples as well as a brief sketch of Switzerland. Landscapes, architecture, lodgings and food are described with selective but penetrating detail. The shrewd social observations characteristic of Dickens' novels are found here, especially in his critical remarks about poverty, popular religion and the Catholic clergy.

Rambles in the South of Ireland during the Year 1838
  • Volume 2
  • Georgiana Chatterton
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1839
  • Lady Georgiana Chatterton (1806–1876) was a prolific British romantic novelist and travel writer. After marrying Sir William Chatterton in 1824 she spent much of her time at his estate in Ireland; the couple later retired to Dorset because of financial problems after the Irish Famine (1845–1851). These volumes, first published in 1839, contain Chatterton's accounts of various walks and excursions she undertook in the south of Ireland. Writing in the format of journal entries, Chatterton recounts her outings to places including Killarney, the Dingle Mountains and Limerick, mixing vivid descriptions of scenery and villages with details of local legends. These volumes were extremely popular and remain the best known of Chatterton's works; they provide a valuable example of popular early Victorian travel writing. Volume 2 contains her excursions to Limerick and Cork. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=chatge

Rambles in the South of Ireland during the Year 1838
  • Volume 1
  • Georgiana Chatterton
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1839
  • Lady Georgiana Chatterton (1806–1876) was a prolific British romantic novelist and travel writer. After marrying Sir William Chatterton in 1824 she spent much of her time at his estate in Ireland; the couple later retired to Dorset because of financial problems after the Irish Famine (1845–1851). These volumes, first published in 1839, contain Chatterton's accounts of various walks and excursions she undertook in the south of Ireland. Writing in the format of journal entries, Chatterton recounts her outings to places including Killarney, the Dingle Mountains and Limerick, mixing vivid descriptions of scenery and villages with details of local legends. These volumes were extremely popular and remain the best known of Chatterton's works; they provide a valuable example of popular early Victorian travel writing. Volume 1 contains her excursions to Bantry and Killarney. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=chatge

The Land Beyond the Forest
  • Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania
  • Volume 2
  • Emily Gerard
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1888
  • Novelist Emily Gerard (1849–1905) went with her husband, an officer in the Austrian army, to Transylvania for two years in 1883. Then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today a region of western Romania, Transylvania was little known to readers back in England. In the years following, she wrote this full-length account (published in 1888) as well as several articles on the region, which Bram Stoker used when researching the setting for Dracula. She describes encounters with the different nationalities that made up the Transylvanian people: Romanians, Saxons and gypsies. Full of startling anecdotes and written in a novelistic style, her work combines her personal recollections with a detailed account of the landscape and people. The second volume covers the gypsy and Jewish populations, as well as Gerard's mixed feelings on leaving the country. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=geraem

The Letters and Works of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
  • Volume 1
  • Mary Wortley Montagu
  • Edited by James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie Wharncliffe, William Moy Thomas
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1866
  • Self-taught in her father's library, the writer, satirist and poet Lady Mary Wortley Montagu had an inexhaustible appetite for travel and society. This third edition of her Letters and Works (1866) offers insight into the ambitions and frustrations of one of the most unconventional women of the eighteenth century. In addition to remarks on the follies and diversions of London, Volume 1 provides acute and often acerbic observations of the sights and people she encountered on her travels across Holland, France, Germany, Austria and Turkey. Letters to her family, to Alexander Pope, and to her sister the Countess of Mar are enhanced by an engraved portrait of Lady Mary in her famous Turkish-inspired dress, and an introductory memoir of her life; all of which ensures the enduring appeal of this entertaining collection of correspondence. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=montma

Letters Written during a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
  • Mary Wollstonecraft
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1796
  • Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published this book, the last before her death in childbirth, in 1796. The twenty-five letters are an account of a daring wartime trip to Scandinavia to attempt to retrieve a stolen ship for her lover, the American adventurer Gilbert Imlay. Her letters describe the people and culture she encountered, as well as the beautiful natural surroundings she observed. But in addition to a travelogue these letters include political reflections on controversial topics such as prison reform, as well as revealing a very personal story of inner turmoil and dislocation. Wollstonecraft's letters were written at a difficult period in her life - she had recently attempted suicide - and their themes and emotional content influenced the Romantic poets of the following generation, even though the book's initial popularity waned after her death. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=wollma

A Spinster’s Tour in France, the States of Genoa, etc., during the Year 1827
  • Elizabeth Strutt
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    21 October 2010
    First published in:
    1828
  • The romantic novelist Elizabeth Strutt (1783–c.1863) was ideally suited to the task she set herself when, in 1827, she wrote A Spinster's Tour in France (1828). Although she herself was married, her experiences convinced her of the urgent need for a guidebook designed for the unaccompanied 'lady traveller'. Taking readers through every stage of a long and eventful journey from Southampton to Recco (near Genoa), Strutt combines poetic descriptions of picturesque landscapes with practical advice on lodgings, transport and social interaction. Of particular concern, claims Strutt, is the vulnerability of unchaperoned young women at the hands of 'zealous Roman Catholics' who might seek to convert a 'timid child' to their faith. Strutt's book provides an unusual perspective both on European customs and society, and on the mindset of the British travellers who witnessed them. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=struel

Through Spain to the Sahara
  • Matilda Betham-Edwards
  • Published online:
    05 July 2011
    Print publication:
    30 September 2010
    First published in:
    1868
  • Journalist, children's author and translator, Matilda Betham-Edwards inspired a generation of writers. A correspondent of Henry James and a friend of George Eliot, she belonged to a literary network that spanned the globe. Published in 1868, her account of her journey to the Sahara received immediate critical acclaim for its graceful prose and intelligent insights. Leading readers through the Dordogne to Madrid and on to the mosques and malaria of North Africa, Edwards introduces her audience to relics, landscapes and ancient edifices that reflect a wide spectrum of religions and societies. A farmer's daughter, she pays special attention to the living and working conditions of agricultural communities and their struggle for survival in nineteenth-century Europe. As one reviewer for the Examiner explained, 'stay at home readers can hardly do their travelling by proxy more easily than by running through her entertaining pages'.

Guide to Windermere
  • With Tours to the Neighboring Lakes and Other Interesting Places
  • Harriet Martineau
  • Published online:
    13 June 2011
    Print publication:
    02 September 2010
    First published in:
    1854
  • Described by George Eliot as 'the only English woman that possesses thoroughly the art of writing', Harriet Martineau held a prominent position in the intellectual life of Victorian culture. This 1854 guide to Windermere was the first in her series of guides to the Lake District, leading eventually to her hugely successful Complete Guide to the English Lakes. In this Guide, Martineau engages with the emerging industry of literary tourism, and describes why the thriving village of Windermere warranted a 'new guide book'. She appreciatively details the natural features of the district and its architecture, and presents accounts of scenic walks and day tours to the neighbouring lakes, combining practical information with literary passages of description. An outstanding woman of her time, Martineau followed in Wordsworth's footsteps by fusing her identity with the local landscape of the Lake District, continuing its rich literary associations.

Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany
  • Volume 2
  • Hester Lynch Piozzi
  • Published online:
    13 June 2011
    Print publication:
    21 October 2010
    First published in:
    1789
  • In the second volume of Piozzi's Observations, the travels continue from Naples and into Germany before the return to England. Well educated and accustomed to society and activity, Hester relished her intellectual collaboration and close friendship with Samuel Johnson, developed during her first marriage to the successful but stifling Henry Thrale. Yet as Johnson became ill he was increasingly demanding of her attention as a nurse and they became susceptible to society gossip. Hester's second marriage, to Italian musician Gabriel Mario Piozzi in 1784, was therefore extremely liberating. The European travels recounted in these volumes were an escape, and Hester revelled in her experiences, a joy which shows through clearly in this development of her own, non-Johnsonian literary tone. The books were well received, even being read at court by Queen Charlotte and Fanny Burney. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=piozhe

Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany
  • Volume 1
  • Hester Lynch Piozzi
  • Published online:
    28 February 2011
    Print publication:
    21 October 2010
    First published in:
    1789
  • Hester Piozzi's 1789 Observations is an entertaining title, with a conversational, present-tense style that makes it stand out from other (largely male) travel writing of the period. Extremely well-educated and accustomed to society and activity, Hester was stifled in her first marriage to brewer Henry Thrale. A close friend of Samuel Johnson, she collaborated with him on several works, but also found herself increasingly called upon to nurse him as he became ill. Her second marriage to Italian musician Gabriel Mario Piozzi in 1784 was therefore extremely liberating. The European travels recounted in these volumes were an escape, allowing Hester to develop her own literary tone. This first volume recounts the beginnings of their travels through France and Italy, and Hester's enjoyment of her experiences shows through clearly in the liveliness of her writing. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=piozhe

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