The Victorian period is crucial to any understanding of modern Britain, yet it is frequently understood only through the crude stereotypes of emotional repression, factories, child labour and the pursuit of progress at all costs. They reveal part of the truth but not all.

Exploring how these stereotypes relate to the realities of such a rich and diverse period, Dr David Gange introduces readers to the aspects of political, social, cultural and economic history that defined life for Victorian people. In combining the all too often separated perspectives of the period’s historians and literary scholars with the themes of empire, science and ethics, he provides a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary survey of the era. Featuring famous figures ranging from Dickens to Disraeli and introducing the ideas of major interpreters, The Victorians: A Beginner’s Guide is an accessible guide to a fascinating period and a thought-provoking examination of how our perceptions of it have changed over time.