Richard Mullen

I cried at the end of this book when Anthony Trollope died and that is very uncharacteristic of me. Mullen clearly cares for Trollope and he made this literary giant seem like such a wonderful man (despite the fox hunting). It is carefully researched and was written in an engaging manner, so very easy to read. I have the sense that there is much here that I haven't fully absorbed and I will be hanging onto this book (despite my copy being severely damaged) in order to refer back to it for show more information. If, for example, I had known that Trollope and George Eliot were close friends, I had forgotten. show less

Absolutely essential for wending my way through Trollope, or for insight on the occasional bit of trivia about the mid-Victorian period. The book is clearly and concisely written, chock-a-block with useful and pertinent information, and the authors don't stint on alerting the unwary reader to those works of Trollope that are, shall we say, "sub-par," unlike some starry-eyed literary docents I've encountered.

Witty,amusing and interesting selection of travellers views of travelling on the Continetn. It would be very hard not to find things of interest on every page.

Given it incidentally covers history, geography, the social landscape and the living conditions of Europe, plus the ingrained views of the British traveller in 19th century, it is a great read.

The authors have chosen a great range of sources so that what might be leadenly educational is actually a pleasure to read.