Mike Rendell

William Bligh – That Bounty Bastard tells the story of a man whose reputation has been permanently ruined by his portrayal in films as a cruel and vindictive tyrant. The facts prove otherwise. This book looks at the life of a much-maligned man who was a protégé of the explorer James Cook and who enjoyed the unwavering patronage of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks throughout his life. Sent to Tahiti to transport breadfruit plants to the West Indies, he is nowadays renowned only for his part in the Mutiny on the Bounty. Critics overlook the astonishing feat of navigation and leadership in bringing his men to safety after a voyage of more than 4000 miles in an open boat – with very limited supplies. He was successful in his breadfruit mission on the second attempt and then went on to considerable naval glory due to his courage in battle. It earned him the prestigious appointment of Governor of New South Wales. This proved to be a poisoned chalice – and he was thrown out of office by an insurrection intent on preserving the army’s corrupt hold on power. The book also examines what happened to Fletcher Christian after he sailed the Bounty to Pitcairn, examines the voyage of the Pandora, which brought some of the mutineers back to Britain, and examines the ensuing courts martial. This is the story of a man who was sincere, stubborn and somewhat staid – but with astonishing temper tantrums when provoked or opposed in the execution of what he saw to be his duty.

A Dark History of Gin looks at the origins and development of a drink which seems to have a universal and timeless appeal. Historian Mike Rendell explores the origins of distilling in the ancient world and considers the how, when, where and why of the happy marriage' between distilled spirits and berries from the juniper bush. The book traces the link between gin and the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium) and looks at how the drink was brought across to England when the Dutch-born William of Orange became king. From the tragic era of the gin craze in eighteenth-century London, through to the emergence of the cocktail', the book follows the story of gin across the Atlantic to America and the emergence of the mixologist. It also follows the growth of the Temperance Movement and the origins of the Prohibition, before looking at the period between the First and Second World Wars - the cocktail age. From there the book looks at the emergence in the twentieth century of craft gins across the globe, enabling the drink to enjoy a massive increase in popularity. The book is intended as a light-hearted look-behind-the-scenes at how Mother's Ruin' developed into rather more than just a plain old 'G & T'.

An introduction to the raucous yet educational ‘gap year’ tours of Europe taken by wealthy British aristocrats in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.For many young eighteenth-century aristocrats, the Grand Tour was an essential rite of passage. Spending many months travelling established routes through France and Italy, they would visit the great cultural sites of western Europe – from Paris, through to Venice, Florence and Rome – ostensibly absorbing art, architecture and culture. Yet all too often, it was a gateway to gambling and debauchery. In this beautifully illustrated guide, Mike Rendell shows how the tour reached its zenith, examining the young tourists’ activities and how they acquired ‘polish’ and an appreciation for fashion, opera and classical antiquity. He also explores their passion for souvenirs and art collecting, and how these items made their way back to grand country houses, which were themselves often modelled to the rules of classical European architecture.

This book will look at the phenomenon of celebrity hookers in the eighteenth century -all of them the subject of extraordinary press scrutiny and comment. They were the fashion icons of the age, and what they wore was copied and put on sale in the high street within days. Many of them were passed around within the same small circle of aristocratic lovers. They were the object of constant gossip and whether they were flaunting their fame by taking a box at the opera for the entire season, or by parading through Hyde Park in a phaeton pulled by matching cream ponies, or returning from Paris wearing the very latest fashions, they enjoyed a celebrity status nowadays bestowed on TV reality stars and footballers' wives.

Peek beneath the bedsheets of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Britain in this affectionate, informative and fascinating look at sex and sexuality during the reigns of Georges I-IV. It examines the prevailing attitudes towards male and female sexual behaviour, and the ways in which these attitudes were often determined by those in positions of power and authority. It also explores our ancestors' ingenious, surprising, bizarre and often entertaining solutions to the challenges associated with maintaining a healthy sex life. Did the people in Georgian Britain live up to their stereotypes when it came to sexual behaviour? This book will answer this question, as well as looking at fashion, food, science, art, medicine, magic, literature, love, politics, faith and superstition through a new lens, leaving the reader enlightened and with a new regard for the ingenuity and character of our ancestors.

In 1811, the Prince of Wales was officially appointed Prince Regent to act in place of his ailing father, King George III. The Regency marked a period of high fashion and low morals, famous today for the flourishing of the arts and the scandalous personal life of the prince – a generous but flawed individual who lived life to excess. This book explores the whirlwind of expression and ideas that accompanied the Regency era. It was a time when Jane Austen was publishing her famous novels, when the Romantic poets were in their prime and when war with France finally ended at the Battle of Waterloo. The Regency itself lasted a mere nine years before the prince acceded to the throne in his own right as King George IV, but it was more than just a political period – it was a style, a fashion and a new state of mind. This introduction to the Regency covers the major events, ideas and personalities of the period.

The Georgian era is known for its lavish fashions and sumptuous food, as well as being a time of great social and political change. It saw the birth of the Industrial Revolution, the abolition of the slave trade and the expansion of the British Empire throughout the world. It is also an era greatly associated with the Arts – prolific writers and artists such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Austen and Turner changed the British cultural landscape. History is not just about kings and queens, or battles lost and won, it is also about the way ordinary people lived and changed the world around them. Mike Rendell covers some of the weird and wonderful facts about the era, as well as debunking some of the myths, in easy-to-read, bite-size sections. Find out about the vicar who discovered aspirin and the man who made his fortune from a toothbrush, alongside the personal lives of the monarchy.

This guide to the Georgian era examines the key events of the period from 1714 to 1837. Starting with the culture and style of the period, it moves on to the ‘movers and shakers’ of the political scene and looks at the growth of empire and the abolition movement. As well as exploring the politics of the period, we see how the Georgians dined, how they relaxed and how they socialised. We learn what it was to be fashionable in the time of Beau Brummell, and explore the world of Georgian entertainment, from the birth of the modern circus to the origins of sports such as cricket, billiards and squash. This book is intended for anyone interested in a century that still resonates with us today – much of our world was shaped by the Georgians.

This is the story of one of the most famous and popular entrepreneurs of the 18th Century - a man dubbed "the father of the modern circus". Philip Astley was a teenager who yearned for adventure and above all who wanted to work with horses. He served in the British Army in the Seven Years War, learning how to train horses for battle, and then left to find his fortune in London giving riding lessons and putting on exhibitions of trick riding. In doing so he came up with a formula for entertaining thousands, with his demonstrations of clowning on horseback, juggling, rope walking and acrobatics. He dazzled with fireworks, he impressed with colour and he amazed his audiences with re-enactments of battles and sieges. In doing so he launched the modern circus, building circus premises across Europe and inspiring others to follow the trail which he blazed. It is a story of courage and resilience, and of how one man, in the right place at the right time, achieved a remarkable success in the field of popular entertainment. This version is heavily illustrated throughout, thirty of the illustrations being in colour.