English Eccentrics and Eccentricities by John Timbs

Description

Timbs was the great Victorian popularizer of curious knowledge, and here he turns his appetite for the strange upon his fellow countrymen. The collection ranges from the famous — the eccentric duke who refused to sleep in a bed — to the obscure parish original whose legend survives in a hundred anecdotal pages, all told with the dry relish befitting the subject.

The secret of the book’s charm is that Timbs neither mocks nor celebrates: he simply records, with Victorian thoroughness, what his countrymen got up to when left to their own devices. The result is a delightful portrait gallery and a genuine sourcebook of English character.

Why readers still come back to it

• A Victorian showcase of English originality at its most extreme.
• Hermits, collectors, spendthrifts, and originals, all thoroughly documented.
• Delightful bedside reading for anyone who enjoys odd history.

About this DodaBooks edition

This edition gives you the complete text with clean, professional typesetting, a working table of contents, and careful chapter navigation — designed for comfortable reading on phones, tablets, and e-readers. Instant download after purchase.