Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency [Hardcover]

Saul David (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0871137399 | ISBN-13: 978-0871137395 | Publication Date: March 1999 | Edition: 1

The Prince of Pleasure is the immaculately researched and engaging story of George IV (1762-1830), a rakish and contradictory figure who became one of the most controversial and outrageous monarchs in British history. Critically acclaimed biographer Saul David has captured the passions and foibles of this monarch -- infamous for being overweight, overdressed, and oversexed -- who epitomized England's regency period. George IV was marked throughout his life by financial ruin and domestic entanglements. Though known primarily for his scandalous lifestyle, he was also a man of high intelligence with a great appreciation for art and literature. In addition to encouraging the works of both Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott, as well as purchasing the Elgin Marbles, he promoted England's Regency style of architecture. In fast-moving and incisive prose, Saul David paints a brilliantly detailed portrait of the Regency period.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When the future British monarch George IV (1762-1830) was a lad of 15, his head instructor predicted the Prince of Wales "will either be the most polished gentleman or the most accomplished blackguard in Europe, possibly an admixture of both." It was, as historian Saul David notes, "a particularly prescient remark." He is most popularly remembered for setting the pace for drunkenness and lechery among England's upper crust, not to mention his attempts to exploit the "madness" of his father, George III, for political gain (which would incidentally help him raise the money necessary to pay off his massive debts). But, David says, he was also a generous patron of the arts--responsible for, among other things, the establishment of the National Portrait Gallery--and played a critical role in the multinational campaign against Napoleon, thereby securing Britain's position of supremacy.

Prince of Pleasure is a lively biography, rich in anecdote, which provides a nuanced view of the monarch and statesman that hides nothing, but considers the flaws within the context of a nation where parliament and royalty maintained a delicate balance while revolutionary fervor swept many other countries. Drawing deeply upon contemporary sources, David is able to offer substantial detail on matters such as the prince's "secret" wedding to the Catholic widow Mrs. Fitzherbert, or his later, legally sanctioned matrimony to Princess Caroline of Brunswick, who so physically repulsed him that, after three instances of congress in the first two days of their marriage, he never went near her again. There is also much fine detail on the personal rifts between the prince and his father, and the ways in which that discord shaped Whig-Tory rivalries in the House of Commons. People fascinated by the stories surrounding the late 20th century's Prince of Wales will find his Hanoverian antecedent as compelling--probably more. --Ron Hogan

From the Inside Flap

Described as "a man who would prefer a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon," George Augustus Frederick (1762-1830), the oldest son of King George III, was a pivotal and highly controversial figure in England's Regency period. Although his scandalous liaisons with prostitutes and duchesses, a "secret" marriage to his true love--the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert--and a publicly ridiculed (bigamous) marriage to Caroline of Brunswick threatened to eclipse his contributions to British history, Saul David's engrossing biography Prince of Pleasure shows a man of high intelligence and political ambition. His actions reflected the ambivalent relationship of the monarchy to Parliament at a time when the nation was infected by revolution fervor in America and France.

The participation of George IV in public affairs had enduring positive influences. His support for overseas campaigns against Napoleon, culminating in such historic victories as Trafalgar and Waterloo, consolidated Britain's status as the preeminent world power amid the great social and economic upheavals of the industrial revolution. His passion for the arts left England with cultural legacies such as the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, Regent's Park and the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the defining architectural image of Regency style.

At once farce, tragedy, and melodrama, the story of George IV is depicted with artistry and great force, introducing a cast of contemporary figures such as Beau Brummel, Lord Byron, and Jane Austen. Drawing on a wealth of original accounts of life in Georgian Britain, Saul David has created a biography of extraordinary caliber, painting a brilliantly detailed portrait of the man who faced ruthless ridicule for his private life and who lived at the center of a nation in the throws of great change.

"Simply unputdownable theater of the personal and political absurd."--The New York Times Book Review

"Saul David...is a rising star. His marvelously lucid, and sometimes very witty, narrative is based on sound archival research, and written with great stylishness and verve."--The Sunday Telegraph (London)

"[An] excellently written biography...about the life of the spoiled, though charming and affable, voluptuary who finally became George IV."--The Wall Street Journal

"[Prince of Pleasure] careens between the prince's mind-boggling gustatory and sexual adventures, his secret marriage to a Catholic widow, his struggle to wrest power from his mentally ill father and, in spite of all his excesses, his devoted patronage of the finest talent of his time. The picture that emerges is admirably multi-layered--David allows the prince to be both buffoonishly absurd and intellectually complex."--Salon

Saul David was born in 1966 and educated at Edinburgh University. He has written several book, including the acclaimed The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan. He lives near Monmouth, England, with his wife and daughter. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 484 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Pr; 1 edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871137399
• ISBN-13: 978-0871137395
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,471,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Little new is revealed in this, November 26, 2000

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency (Hardcover)

I am ambivalent at best about Saul David's book "Prince of Pleasure".

On the good side I think he is very readable and I did enjoy a great deal of this book. Unfortunately I don't think he brought up much to shed new light on the Prince and indeed some of the matters on which he emphasised he failed to distinguish between rumour and innuendo, and what was actual provable fact - the supposed love children of the Prince Regent's sisters for instance. Other people have presented far better researched and more compelling arguments on these things than he did.

The book left wondering what there was really new in this that Christopher Hibbert has not discussed in his 2 volume biography of the Prince Regent Published some 25 years ago? If there was anything new about the Prince I think it was mostly window decoration.

Also I was somewhat disturbed by a number of errors of fact in the book - none of which really destroyed or influenced the subject of the book as they were on peripheral issues - but nevertheless annoying - for instance he said the Earl of Barrymore (better known as Hellgate) had been shot by the soldiers in his regiment - untrue. He died in an accidental shooting when his sporting gun went off in his carriage. David implies that Harriette Wilson made a fortune from her memoirs - also not true.

I also found it hard to agree with some of the interpretations he put on various quotes from people - to prove that the Prince had had an affair with Harriette Wilson for instance - or his assertion from a very ambiguous quote that Beau Brummell was Gay.

David does have a very neat way of blending in the elements of history with the life of the Prince Regent which I also found very enjoyable. I wish he would footnote a bit more so it was possible to see where he drew his information from.

One final quibble I have with this book is that "Prince of Pleasure" is a title that is already used by J B Priestley's 1969 work on the Prince Regent and the Regency period. This was a popular book and well known. I wondered if David had read it, but it doesn't turn up in his bibliography - a fact I find surprising for he must have come across it in his research. It just seems a bit cheeky to use the same title in a book on exactly the same subject and not acknowledge it.

In the end I am left wondering what he has added that was not already known about the Prince Regent. Still it is interesting and readable.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wastrel's Life, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency (Hardcover)

A wasted life - wasted on wine, women, song, dance, poetry - they say the 'road to Hell is paved with good intentions.' Truly Prinny had good intentions - he wanted to lead his troops in battle, win glory and thereby the respect of his disapproving parents; he wanted to do many things, but the booze, porphyria, and, obviously, depression kept getting in his way. That he passed it on to his only recognised daughter is another tragedy - but, with regard to today's situation amonst the British Royals, isn't this just another case of unruly spoiled children?

Very well done and full of 'dirt' - George IV wasn't the only brat in the family - 'Prince of Pleasure' presents an incisive view of late-18th century politics and society. His explanation of the various 'regency crises' is succinct and easy to follow - something that most historians make a hash of. The Pitt and Fox portraits are particularly revealing - altruitic for the one and definately earthy for the other. Overall an extremely readable overview of the period that 'formed' the 19th century in Britain and the US.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poor Prinny, September 28, 2000

By 

Shay Lynn "shay_in_colorado" (Centennial, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency (Hardcover)

This book was the first I've read that presents a balanced picture of the Regent. He had many unattractive qualities but they were the shortcomings of someone who never really grew up, a lifelong adolescent. He had some finer traits that might have served him perfectly well if he'd been a private gentleman instead of the heir to the throne. I was particularly interested in the theory that the Regent suffered to a lesser extent the hereditary disease that most historians believe caused George III's madness.