Unlike other studies of the Grand Tour, this book deals not so much with the fully-fledged 18th-century phenomenon, but rather with the 16th and 17th centuries and the way in which the English became conscious of the Italian Renaissance and thereby discovered classical antiquity itself. Revised essays document the lives and travels of the personalities who contributed to establishing a convention which eventually came to dominate European culture. An epilogue pays tribute to Sir Harold Acton (1904-1994). Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Grand Tour has become a subject of major interest to scholars and general readers interested in exploring the historic connections between nations and their intellectual and artistic production. Although traditionally associated with the eighteenth century, when wealthy Englishmen would complete their education on the continent, the Grand Tour is here investigated in a wider context, from the decline of the Roman Empire to recent times. Authors from Chaucer to Erasmus came to mock the custom but even the Reformation did not stop the urge to travel. From the mid-sixteenth century, northern Europeans justified travel to the south in terms of education. The English had previously travelled to Italy to study the classics; now they travelled to learn Italian and study medicine, diplomacy, dancing, riding, fencing, and, eventually, art and architecture. Famous men, and an increasing proportion of women, all contributed to establishing a convention which eventually came to dominate European culture. Documenting the lives and travels of these personalities, Professor Chaney's remarkable book provides a complete picture of one of the most fascinating phenomena in the history of western civilisation.

The Grand Tour has become a subject of major interest to scholars and general readers interested in exploring the historic connections between nations and their intellectual and artistic production. Although traditionally associated with the eighteenth century, when wealthy Englishmen would complete their education on the continent, the Grand Tour is here investigated in a wider context, from the decline of the Roman Empire to recent times. Authors from Chaucer to Erasmus came to mock the custom but even the Reformation did not stop the urge to travel. From the mid-sixteenth century, northern Europeans justified travel to the south in terms of education. The English had previously travelled to Italy to study the classics; now they travelled to learn Italian and study medicine, diplomacy, dancing, riding, fencing, and, eventually, art and architecture. Famous men, and an increasing proportion of women, all contributed to establishing a convention which eventually came to dominate European culture. Documenting the lives and travels of these personalities, Professor Chaney's remarkable book provides a complete picture of one of the most fascinating phenomena in the history of western civilisation.

'Grand Tours and Cook's Tours' is the story of intellectuals and the very rich, the not so rich, the infamous and the anonymous seeking adventure and satisfying ways of exploring the world, from the mid-18th century to World War One.

The world is a big place full of interesting things. And The Grand Tour has seen some of them. That’s why few people are better placed to lead you around this vast planet of ours than Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. As long as you don’t mind getting hot and lost. Welcome, everyone, to The Grand Tour Guide to The World.

Published in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society in London, this exquisite collection of maps traces the evolution of tourism, from the elite realms of the Grand Tour to beyond the boundaries of the known world. It charts a course across the globe on the first steam voyages, captures the romance of the golden age of train travel, and navigates to the heart of why we travel: for adventure; for education; for escapism; for pilgrimage. Arranged chronologically and contextualised by the personal anecdotes, diary extracts, and photographs of intrepid early travelers, The Map Tour looks at the ways in which maps facilitated, dictated, and directed the burgeoning travel industry. It reveals the progress in map-making techniques and considers the shape of global tourism today, reflecting on just how accessible - or hostile - the world has become. Rich with the spirit of adventure, this entertaining collection presents the story of travel and tourism from the 1700s to the present.

Although the eighteenth century is traditionally seen as the age of the Grand Tour, it was in fact the continental travel of Jacobean noblemen which really constituted the beginning of the Tour as an institutionalized phenomenon. James I's peace treaty with Spain in 1604 rendered travel to Catholic Europe both safer and more respectable than it had been under the Tudors and opened up the continent to a new generation of aristocratic explorers, enquirers and adventurers. This book examines the political and cultural significance of the encounters that resulted, focusing in particular on two of England's greatest, and newly united, families: the Cecils and the Howards. It also considers the ways in which Protestants and Catholics experienced the aesthetic and intellectual stimulus of European travel and how the cultural experiences of the travellers formed the essential ingredients in what became the Grand Tour.