Regency Recollections: Captain Gronow's Guide to Life in London and Paris is a very useful guide for fledgling Regency writers. The editor of the book, Christopher Summerville, has done a great service for fans of Gronow's work by collecting all his Regency-specific writings into one volume. Even if you're not a Regency researcher, Gronow is worth the read if only for his wonderfully gossipy remarks about London luminaries. Below, you'll see some of his wittiest remarks.
On Lord Byron: "Byron hated Palmerston but liked Peel and thought that the whole world ought to be constantly employed in admiring his poetry and himself. He never could write a poem or drmama without making himself its hero,a nd he was always the subject of his own conversation.
On Beau Brummell: "Unluckily, Brummell, soon after joining his regiment, was thrown from a horse at a grand review at Brighton, when he broke his classical Roman nose. This misfortune, however, did not affect the fame of the beau, and although his nasal organ has undergone a slight transformation, it was forgiven by his admirers, since the rest of his person remained intact."
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