'Well researched and neatly illustrated, it provides some fascinating gems plucked from a mass of tourist literature designed to sell images of Bath to would-be visitors.'EHR June 01'a thought provoking study that accomplishes Borsay's purpose with a style and panache that the Georgians would appreciate. The themes it raises should interest all historians who want to look at texts in new ways and see complexities in multiple narratives.'Susan E. Whyman, H-Albion'Borsay has remained true to his book's purpose and has developed a lucid argument. He has creatively brought the relationships of town, heritage, and history to center stage, at a time when the countryside/urban model is being debated in Britain.'Susan E. Whyman, H-Albion'the concluding chapter, which integrates notions of towns, heritage, and history, makes the most valuable contribution to our understanding of urban history.

It is the thoughtful result of wide reading, deep thinking, and even passion. This section teems with thought-provoking ideas, and is recommended for all types of historians.'Susan E. Whyman, H-Albion'extremely well researched and will prove a valuable contribution to our understanding of Britain's urban heritage.' Contemp Rev. Jan 01.' A study that abounds with the wonderful specificity and particularity of lived experience. Peter Borsay has clearly fulfilled his projected aim, to uncover the past 'not as historiography and theory, but as practical phenomenon which affected the way a specific locale evolved, and how its inhabitants and visitors conducted and experienced their lives'.

Would that every provincial city had its Borsay!'Eighteenth Century Studies On-line Discussion List.