PLEASURES OF THE PAST: A LIGHT-HEARTED COMMENTARY ON THE ENJOYMENTS OF PAST GENERATIONS. de Brooke, Iris - 1955

London: Odhams, 1955. 175 pp, 8vo (9" H). Colour frontispiece, 16 pages of b&w plates, 80 line drawings. "Iris Brooke, who is well-known for her many authoritative books on English costume through the ages, has gathered together in these pages, a charming record of the pleasures that beguiled the hours of bygone generations that knew neither radio nor television, neither cinema nor jazz. The book, which covers the period from the mid-fifteenth century to the early nineteenth century, is made up largely of carefully-selected quotations from the works of contemporary diarists, poets and authors, writing of their own pleasures and the sights they witnessed - cameos full of life and vitality, painted in the colourful vocabulary of their day and age, better by far than any modern description could make them." Chapter headings: Pleasures of the Palate; Sadistic Sport and Sights; Games and Amusements; Ornamental Gardens; Public Parks and Gardens; Dress and Dressing; Pride of Possession; Travel and Sight-Seeing; Music and Dancing; Masques, Pageants and Spectacles; Conceits and Solaces; Urban Diversions; Fairs and Freaks. Light browning to edges of textblock, a few tiny foxing marks on top of text block, light wrinkling and slight browning at top/bottom of textblock. Dust jacket has very light edgewear, light edge wrinkling - tiny tears and creases at top of spine, light to moderate rubbing, light foxing on inside surface.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good-.