A book recommendation and a general question

[hangingfire]

Item the first: book rec.  I've just started reading City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth-Century London by Vic Gatrell.  (Detailed LA Times review here.)  Highly recommended to anyone who's a nerd for history in this time period in general -- I figure there's got to be at least a few people who fit that description in this community.  ^_

Comments

[onlyonechoice]

What drew you to 1776? What do you love about it? Why does it stick with you? What about it resonates the most?My father was the one who first made me watch it when I was a kid, and it made history funny. I loved musicals as a kid, so this became a yearly bonding thing with my Dad (living in Philadelphia didn't hurt either, since they showed it every year around 7/4

[stringalchemist]

Haha, Franklin xD

I first saw 1776 onstage at one of my local theatres. And I think it was the actor who played Dr. Hall that made me become obsessed with him and 1776~ :D

[mushroomthief]

My friend is a huge history buff. I always thought she was kind of crazy because of it, too. But then she showed me 1776, and I fell in LOVE.

Admittedly, I fell in love with John Adams first. Then the movie. The songs, the costumes, the dancing, and the personalities really brough history to life for me.

Now, I'm a huge history buff. xD

[panzerin]

Book looks great. I think I'll order it. This one may interest you as well. I have read it and recommend it. It's a hundred years off your fandom but you may like it anyway :-)

Constant Delights: Rakes, Rogues and Scandal in Restoration England by Graham Hopkins

[hangingfire]

Oh, that does look interesting. Thanks for the pointer!

[ciara_belle]

Ooh, thanks for the rec! I'm definitely going to have to look for that and see if I can draw any thesis material out of it. :)

[gogowilde]

what drew me to 1776? well, i saw it on tv when i was a little kid and i was sensitive to music and color so that definately drew me in, but then they never played it again. my parents tried to find a video tape but they couldn't and i never saw it again until... my 7th grade u.s. history class. and then i realized how funny it was. so that's 3 checks on the list. again i couldn't find the video. but last year, i finally got to buy the dvd! (oh happy day!) and by that time i became a history buff, plus like you, i am also a civic idealist. so, it's got everything i could possibly ask for: color, music, history, civic idealism, humor, and of course hot men in period costume acting suspiciosly slashy around each other and almost kissing at times. *giggles*

now i have a rec for you: have you ever read Sex With the Queen or Sex With Kings? they're books about the sexual lives, aspects, and expectations about european monarchy. they're reall good.

[hangingfire]

Haven't read either of those, but they sound like something worth checking out. Thanks for the rec!