I learned a lot while reading this book. The author has written a well researched history of Victorian English Entertainment. There is a lot of information and the author tries to include it all. Overall I enjoyed reading it.

Aa fascinating read a well researched very interesting. Look at the beginning of the concept of mass entertainment.In the Victorian era.Perfrct for history buffs I really enjoyed learning all the info#netgalley #yaleu

I found this book a history of the invention and evolution of mass entertainment during the Victorian era that was a fascinating, thoroughly researched, detailed tome that did not disappoint, can't wait to read more from this author

Filled with useful and interesting facts about entertainment in the Victorian era. There are no unanswered questions, no loose ends and every detailed is taken care of. I may re read it in the future!

Full review published in The Victorianist: https://victorianist.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/palaces-of-pleasure-review/

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!

I only read 50% of this book and then decided that I cannot finish it. While it's full of interesting things, the tone of the book is rather dull and the font is not helping. To put it kindly - we are not amused.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish it, but I think this book will be great for other people.

To be filed under: History you never knew you didn't know.

This is my favorite kind of non-fiction: juicy, covering obscure details of every day life for working and lower class people and written with perfectly balanced authorial voice, not too chatty and not too dry.

I was utterly fascinated by the ins and outs of obtaining and navigating the world of public house licenses in the 1800s. Who knew it was so involved? And the story of the struggle between businessmen of various stripes and their frenemies among the magistrates and social reform crew was utterly gripping.

The detail and depth of the analysis kept making me think about what a good resource this would be not only for history buffs looking for an engrossing read, but for writers of historical fiction and, less obviously, fantasy set in pre/mid-industrial revolution settings.

So satisfying.

Good for those who want to have some sort of look in the start of certain areas of entertainment, English/Victorian history, and economic history lies throughout the book. Reader gets information about the start of these different forms of entertainment - like music halls, pleasure gardens and casinos are mentioned or get own chapter. A lot of information is introduction and explained to the reader.

"Palaces of Pleasure" looked at some popular public entertainment choices that arose in England during the 1800s. The author looked in depth at gin palaces, music halls, public halls, dancing halls, pleasure gardens, exhibitions, seaside resorts and sea bathing, and football (soccer) matches. He described how each developed from a small scale origin to mass, public entertainment. He quoted from newspapers and court cases. He described the controversies that arose due to concerns that these entertainment spots led people into immoral or self-damaging behavior. He often explained the usual layout of that type of building. He described the types of entertainments that they provided, as stated in newspapers, ads, and personal records of what a person saw when they visited the place. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in a high level of detail about these public entertainments.

When I was in college earning my Bachelors in History, I often chose a 'social' history topic for many papers. Many were interested in military or economic history; but I always wanted to know the day to day life of the people. How did this or that war affect what was going on. This book was totally up my alley. I devoured it. Many items like music halls and such were familiar to me; but the commercial football, not so much. I enjoyed seeing how the groundwork laid here paved the way to the modern entertainment atmosphere of today. Very interesting to just a casual reader or a serious historian.

Come and be my little teddy bear,
I'm fond of you all day.
Come and be my little teddy bear,
You've stolen my heart away.
I've grown tired of all my other toys,
For them I no longer care.
You're the only one, I've set my heart upon,
So come and be my teddy bear.

As a child, this music hall ditty was my favorite, as sung to me by my father who emigrated from Manchester, England.

"Palaces of Pleasure", a history of the invention and evolution of mass entertainment during the Victorian era was a fascinating, thoroughly researched, detailed tome that did not disappoint. "Countless hatchet-faced pictures of our great-great-grandparents suggest a rather grim, buttoned-up world composed solely of tight corsets and uptight people...but there were smiles, shouts and even giddy screams..."

In the 1830's, establishments called "Gin Palaces" were drinking pubs adorned with gaslights and bars crafted out of mahogany. In 1835, Charles Dickens described a grim reality,"...the stark contrast between the pubs ornate facade and the poverty of the surrounding streets..." Moralists and religious leaders declared that "leisure activities opened the door to sin." Despite the moralists' warnings "...the serious and solemn scored few victories over the leisure entrepreneurs and pleasure seeking public." As the standard of living of the working class rose, the "lower order" populace had more disposable income. "Victorians wanted to be amused, and were willing to pay for the privilege."

"Palaces of Pleasure" was a captivating journey from the gin palaces, music halls, "dry" variety theaters to seaside resorts as well as many other leisure entertainments. "During the Eighteenth Century, the supposed medicinal advantages of sea-bathing and drinking sea water were much promoted by doctors." Two transport revolutions-the steamboat and the railway made seaside vacations available to all.

"Palaces of Pleasure: From Music Halls to the Seaside to Football, How the Victorians Invented Mass Entertainment" by Lee Jackson was a captivating read I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Kudos to Lee Jackson.

Thank you Yale University Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Palaces of Pleasure".

The sub-title says it all - From Music Halls to the Seaside to Football, How the Victorians Invented Mass Entertainment. This authoritative and meticulously researched exploration of Victorian entertainment in all its different manifestations, and examination of how it laid the foundations for the mass entertainment industry we are so familiar with today, is a joy to read, and the text is enhanced by many excellent illustrations. Scholarly but eminently accessible for the general reader, this is essential reading for anyone interested in social history.

This is a very well written, informative and entertaining book.
It's well researched, well written and I liked the clarity of the explanations. I learned a lot and I'm happy I read it.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Places of Pleasure is a interesting and entertaining book. I learned a lot about the nineteenth century that was never in any history book in school. Well written and well researched.

Palaces of Pleasure was an interesting and entertaining read. Of course, I was aware of gin palaces and music hall, but there were other elements of Victorian entertainment I had never considered before, such as the rise of commercial football. This book will be an engaging and worthwhile read for anyone interested in nineteenth-century social history and will appeal to both serious scholars and casual readers with its careful detail yet accessible prose.