Folio Archives 419: The Grand Tour 1592-1796 - 1993
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1wcarter
The Grand Tour 1592-1796. Edited by Roger Hudson - 1993
Before 2014 you had to be a member of The Folio Society in order to purchase any of its books. If you agreed to buy four books at the beginning of each year, you were sent a free presentation book (these were also sold), and these were usually of above average quality. This was the presentation book for 1994.
For over two hundred years, the Grand Tour was a circuit of Europe (with Italy being an essential destination) undertaken by upper class young men to widen the understanding of the world by studying art, antiquities and architecture. This extended journey was seen as a rite of passage for young, aristocratic Englishmen.
A tour often lasted one or two years and the adventurers were often accompanied by a tutor or guide to direct their studies, organise their itinerary and to prevent (hopefully) follies that may affect their future. This book is a lavishly illustrated study of this phenomenon which is described by extracts from the contemporary writings of those who undertook the tour.
In its 270 pages there are 113 colour and monochrome illustrations of contemporary paintings and prints integrated into the text. There are line drawn maps of central Europe and Italy and a twelve page introduction by the editor. There is a brief biography of each writer, a bibliography and an index at the back of the book.
The book is bound in cloth printed with a wrap-around colour painting of Rome in in about 1780. The endleaves are pale grey as is the plain slipcase which measures 25.7x18.2cm.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Before 2014 you had to be a member of The Folio Society in order to purchase any of its books. If you agreed to buy four books at the beginning of each year, you were sent a free presentation book (these were also sold), and these were usually of above average quality. This was the presentation book for 1994.
For over two hundred years, the Grand Tour was a circuit of Europe (with Italy being an essential destination) undertaken by upper class young men to widen the understanding of the world by studying art, antiquities and architecture. This extended journey was seen as a rite of passage for young, aristocratic Englishmen.
A tour often lasted one or two years and the adventurers were often accompanied by a tutor or guide to direct their studies, organise their itinerary and to prevent (hopefully) follies that may affect their future. This book is a lavishly illustrated study of this phenomenon which is described by extracts from the contemporary writings of those who undertook the tour.
In its 270 pages there are 113 colour and monochrome illustrations of contemporary paintings and prints integrated into the text. There are line drawn maps of central Europe and Italy and a twelve page introduction by the editor. There is a brief biography of each writer, a bibliography and an index at the back of the book.
The book is bound in cloth printed with a wrap-around colour painting of Rome in in about 1780. The endleaves are pale grey as is the plain slipcase which measures 25.7x18.2cm.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2emgcat
Thank you for the review Warwick. This has been sitting on my shelves for quite some time. I will now bump it up my TBR pile.
3podaniel
>2 emgcat:
Same here--and thank you. If it weren't for these reviews there's no telling how long these forgotten books would sit forlornly on my shelves.
Same here--and thank you. If it weren't for these reviews there's no telling how long these forgotten books would sit forlornly on my shelves.
