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English society in the eighteenth century was allegedly marked by a 'gambling mania', such was the prevalence and intensity of different forms of 'gaming'. Gambling in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century subjects this notion to systematic scrutiny, exploring the growth and prevalence of different forms of gambling across Britain and throughout British society in this period, as well as attitudes towards it. Drawing on a vast range of new, empirical evidence, Bob Harris seeks to understand gambling, its growth, and significance within the context of wider trends and impulses in society. This book asks what light gambling practices and habits shed back onto society and the values, hopes, and expectations that informed the lives of those involved. This is a book, therefore, as much about the character of British society in the long eighteenth century as it is about gambling itself.
English society in the eighteenth century was allegedly marked by a 'gambling mania', such was the prevalence and intensity of different forms of 'gaming'. Gambling in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century subjects this notion to systematic scrutiny, exploring the growth and prevalence of different forms of gambling across Britain and throughout British society in this period, as well as attitudes towards it. Drawing on a vast range of new, empirical evidence, Bob Harris seeks to understand gambling, its growth, and significance within the context of wider trends and impulses in society. This book asks what light gambling practices and habits shed back onto society and the values, hopes, and expectations that informed the lives of those involved. This is a book, therefore, as much about the character of British society in the long eighteenth century as it is about gambling itself.
Introduction; 1. Gambling for high stakes or 'deep play'; 2. In search of popular gambling; 3. The rise of the lottery; 4. Lottery adventures and adventurers; 5. Gamblers and the law; Conclusion.
This new account of gambling in Britain in the long eighteenth century investigates who gambled, on what, and why.
Bob Harris is Professor of British History at the University of Oxford, and Harry Pitt Fellow in History at Worcester College. He has written numerous books and articles on the history of Britain in the long eighteenth century, including Politics and the Nation: Britain in the Mid Eighteenth Century (2002) and The Scottish People and the French Revolution (2008). His book, The Scottish Town in the Age of Enlightenment, c.1740-1820 (2014), co-authored with Charles McKean, won the Saltire Society's Scottish Book of the Year in 2014.
'Were Georgian Britons genuinely mad for gambling? Bob Harris's
focus on sports wagering and lotteries allows readers to navigate
an otherwise impossibly large topic, and yields important insights
about attitudes toward chance across socioeconomic strata, in both
metropolitan and provincial settings, throughout Great Britain.'
John A. Eglin, University of Montana
'Harris's meticulous archival research draws from an impressive
range of papers held in private, county and national archives.'
Jane Darcy, The Times Literary Supplement
'… this book offers a valuable corrective to existing studies and
will need to be taken into account by future historians of gambling
in Britain. … Harris has trawled a vast array of archives to
produce a detailed and richly exemplified account which ranges from
the 'deep play' of elite gambling to the lower-stake betting which
took place further down the social hierarchy.' Paul Goring, Journal
for Eighteenth Century Studies
'This is a beautifully detailed book, full of rich examples and
provocations that have the power to reshape thinking on the nature
of gambling during the long eighteenth century. … Covering the
period from the 1680s to 1830 this book offers a fascinating
insight into the various worlds of gambling in Britain during the
long eighteenth century.' Anne L. Murphy, Cultural and Social
History
'… Harris has obligingly scoured the archives for us to provide
rich detail for anyone working in eighteenth-century studies in any
number of disciplines from economic history … to urban, film, and
media studies.' Joyce Goggin, H-Net Reviews
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