Generously illustrated Folio Society volume presenting an account of the Grand Tour – the ‘edifying’ excursion many young Englishmen took to continental europe – through the writings of a selection of authors. Many of the writers assembled here do not strictly fall within the strict definition of Grand Tourists being neither that rich nor that young. Several were already established literary figures (Tobias Smollett, Arthur Young) and many more were subsequently enlisted as such. The collection was assembled in the hope that a vigorous picture of this phenomenon emerges. The editor has made no effort to regularise spelling and extracts have been left as printed. The book is organised geographically, following the route most used by the Tourists, each country divided into cities visited and areas traversed. Editorial linking passages detail the extracts that make up the succeeding sections and short biographical notes about the writers may be found at the end of the book. The book is profusely illustrated.