This engaging and informative book offers the first in-depth study of early 19th-century British masquerades, exploring their lavish spectacle, social significance, and cultural impact. Using primary sources, it reveals the details of these extravagant events, examining their role in shaping national identity, cultural exchange, and gender dynamics in Regency England and beyond.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Masquerade balls were a popular form of entertainment in Regency Britain, particularly among the upper classes, symbolising luxury, and spectacle. These events allowed people to mingle and socialise while wearing masks, which enabled them to maintain anonymity and freedom from the usual social constraints, seeking fantasy and escapism.

Masquerade balls served several purposes:
- *Socialising:* Providing an opportunity for people to meet and interact with others in a more liberated atmosphere.
- *Anonymity:* Allowing individuals to conceal their identities and behave more freely.
- *Romance and intrigue:* Creating an atmosphere conducive to romantic encounters and clandestine affairs.
- *Entertainment:* Featuring music, dancing etc.

Venues
Masquerade balls were held at various venues, including:
- *The Haymarket Theatre*
- *The Argyll Rooms*
- *The Pantheon*
- *Pleasure gardens* (Vauxhall Gardens and Ranelagh Gardens)
- *Private estates and mansions* - very exclusive
- *Gentleman's clubs* (Boodles and Whites)
- *Assembly Rooms* (London, Bath, York)

Attendees
Masquerade balls attracted a diverse range of attendees:
- *Wealthy aristocrats and nobles*
- *Artists and creatives*
- *Sex workers*
- *Other notable figures e.g. politicians

Food, Drink, and Decorations
Masquerade balls typically featured:
- *Finger foods and sweets*
- *Punch and other drinks e.g. lemonade*
- *Masks and costumes*
- *Lighting and decorations* (candelabras, chandeliers, and flowers) featuring Romanticism and Neoclassism

Cultural Significance and Critique
Masquerade balls intersected with issues of:
- *Cultural appropriation* (adopting non-Western cultural elements)
- *Imperialism* (reflecting power dynamics of colonialism)
- *Racism* (featuring racist caricatures and blackface -- perpetuating stereotypes)
- *Immorality and licentiousness* (viewed as dens of iniquity and vice)
- *Social mixing* (social unrest and blurred class boundaries)

These events provided a unique space for people to socialise, be creative, and challenge social norms, while also reinforcing dominant cultural hierarchies and attracting criticism for their perceived excesses.

Having read a lot of fiction set in the Regency period, the masquerade ball is something I’ve come across often. It tends to be the setting for some of the novels’ pivotal moments, with masked characters free to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t and mistaking each other’s identities, leading to unexpected romances, accidental interactions with the wrong person and other surprises that are only revealed when the masks come off! This new book by Anne Glover looks at the facts behind the fiction, exploring the real history of the masquerade ball.

The book begins with a discussion of the popular venues used for masquerades. Not surprisingly, the focus is overwhelmingly on London, where masquerades were regularly held at the Argyll Rooms and the Pantheon, as well as outdoor events at the Ranelagh Gardens and Vauxhall Gardens. However, Glover does acknowledge the popularity of masquerade balls in seaside resorts like Margate and Brighton, in other large cities around Britain and Ireland and in other countries such as India. She also looks at private masquerades, where a wealthy person would open their own home to family and friends. The balls would all have different characteristics depending on the size and style of the venue, the ticket price and the class of guests they were trying to attract (the Argyll Rooms required a subscription, whereas the Pantheon was open to anyone who could afford a ticket).

Glover then devotes separate chapters to each individual aspect of the masquerade ball. I found the chapter on lighting particularly interesting. She explains that although we may imagine masquerades as dark, dimly-lit affairs, it was actually important for them to be brightly lit – to help guests stay awake as the balls often started at ten or eleven at night and went on until dawn; to make it safer for people wearing masks to move around; and for the host to show that they could afford to light hundreds of lamps. The Pantheon was said to have 10,000 variegated lamps arranged in different designs. The rooms would be decorated with transparencies – pictures painted on paper, silk or linen and illuminated from behind – and artificial flowers, while pictures and designs would be chalked onto the dance floors, again with the practical purpose of stopping dancers from slipping.

The types of dances popular during the Regency are discussed, along with additional entertainments which started to be added as masquerade balls became more ambitious, including fireworks, lotteries and performances by dancers, singers and acrobats. Then of course, there’s the food – the formal ‘supper’, which often took place at one or two o’clock in the morning, versus the idea of a buffet or refreshments available throughout the entire event which became more popular as we moved into the Victorian era. Costumes are the subject of another chapter. People who wore the ‘domino’ (a simple hooded cloak with a mask) were often looked down on by other guests for not making enough effort; character costumes based on figures from history or literature were preferred, and this leads into a discussion of cultural appropriation and symbols of national identity.

Although masquerade balls could be attended by people from various walks of life, they were obviously aimed mainly at the very rich and privileged and as I read, I couldn’t help thinking about all the working class people who were excluded from entertainments like these – and all the money that was spent on something only lasting one night. I suppose at least the balls created plenty of work for costume makers, artists, musicians and performers, cooks and caterers!

I found this book interesting, but I thought the style and structure made it a bit too dry and scholarly for the general reader. I’m sure it would be of great help as a reference book for someone writing a Regency novel, though. Anne Glover has clearly carried out a huge amount of research and gone into an incredible amount of detail in each chapter, but I would have preferred something that was more fun to read. Still, I did learn a lot from it and coincidentally, the very next novel I picked up after finishing it happened to feature a masquerade ball!

First things first, thank you to Pen and Sword and Netgalley for Advanced Copy! As always all opinions shared are 100% my own.

When I picked up this book, it was out of curiousity as someone who's always adored masquerades in books and media. As a historical fiction reader, I was always aware that fiction often takes creative liberties. How, then, did masquerades unfold in reality?

This book is an excellent deeply researched study on masquerades in the regency era (arguably at the height of their popularity). You will find everything from venues, decor, costumes and refreshments to entertainment and even critical reception. I now know all about lighting up a masquerade for both social and critical reception as well as the reasons why floors were chalked and how. Just one of many details I learned from this.

In addition to that, the book digs into how masquerades reflect cultural and societal views, prejudices and national identity as well as how that evolved and changed in the Victorian era. It was especially interesting to look into 'gender play' and how that was approached and received.

I think my favourite part was the author's recommendations for how masquerades in fiction could be approached for a more realistic experience as well as actually more intrigue and fun. It was like the author could read the questions I had on mind when I picked up the book.

I will say that the only thing I wish was different was I felt there was some repetition that could at times bloat the reading experience. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if this was changed in the final copy as I must remind you, dearest review reader, that what I read was an ARC, not the published copy.

While the book can be a bit academic in writing style, a history hobbyist like me with curiousity in the topic still enjoyed it. So, do not let that deter you.

If you are interested in the history of masquerades in England, or you are a historical fiction author considering a masquerade for your plot, this is a highly recommended read!

Masked balls in Britain during the 18th century. The magnificent costumes and decorated ballrooms. Author Anne Glover writes about all of this. She transports readers to another world.
I really enjoyed the book. It is written in great detail, which shows that the author has done a lot of research. The book is for anyone interested in balls in general or specifically from this period.

Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain is a is a well written, accessible, and nicely notated monograph on the practice of masquerade parties and balls during the Regency period in Britain, written and curated by Anne Glover. Released 30th June in Great Britain by Pen & Sword on their History imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover

This is meticulously researched. It's written in accessible layman language which any reader can understand, but it's also very well annotated and the bibliography and chapter notes are worth the price of the book on their own merits. The author *clearly* knows what she's talking about and does so very well.

The entire book is quite fascinating. It doesn't just detail the costumes and pageantry (and potential for salacious naughtiness); the author really delves deeply into the social, economic, and political powers which caused masquerade to flourish and spread. It is admittedly a niche book and will appeal to readers interested in cultural anthropology and history, but it is also *full* of detail and nuance for writers, historians, and others who have cause to write about the time period.

As previously stated, the subject matter/content is enhanced by the inclusion of a cross referenced index, chapter notes and bibliography, as well as an appendix full of facsimile illustrations, artifacts, and period archival pictures and drawings.

Five stars. This is well and deeply researched and interesting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Very dry and textbook/reference book. Good if you're looking for a long list of who/what/where/when but not that engaging to the casual reader.

This is a meticulously researched scholarly look at Masquerage balls and fancy dress balls in the long regency period of England, with some comparisons to the Georgian and Victorian balls that flanked the time period. Author Anne Glover uses extensive first-hand documentation to describe the venues where public masquerades were held over the decades, the newspaper descriptions given of decorations, food, and costumes worn by guests (both public and private). She also goes into some analysis of how the masquerades (especially the costumes) were used or could be seen to reflect part of Britain's national identity, empire building, class structure, racism, and patriarchy.

Some of this book I found more interesting from a non-scholarly reader point of view than others. I enjoyed learning about the trends in decorating, especially the floor chalking decorations- which may have started from practical considerations and become a sign of wealth as time went on. I'd heard of it before but only in passing, so I wasn't entirely sure it was a real thing until I read this. It was also interesting to learn about the lengths both public and private venues went to ensure the sites were extremely well lit. Being as bright as daylight was one of the signs of a good ball, even the public ones.

The analysis of national identity, what costumes said about the people who chose them and why, class, racism, and the patriarchy were all thought provoking and interesting, but a little overly scholarly in places and sometimes made for slow reading.

The book also suffered from a lot of repetition. Whether this was a problem of the subject or editing I'm not sure (maybe a bit of both), but it could have been greatly improved by cutting some of the vast numbers of times we were told that upper class ladies rented boxes to watch but not participate in the masquerades. There were several chapters describing the different venues that all sounded so much the same they seemed to be repeating themselves a lot. Some restructuring to present the new information in a way that would stand out while the rest blended together would have helped.

Overall a little more of a scholarly read than I had expected, but interesting and very informative. I'd love to see some historical fiction romances start to take more of the realities presented here as challenges for how to create intrigue- like mystery where the venue is completely lit up and there are no dark corners!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a lot of balls! (In a good way)
I am in awe of the author’s , Anne Glover, depth of research and knowledge. The catalogue of individual masquerade balls, their hosts, guest lists, decorations, food, and entertainment, both in London and throughout Great Britain, is simply amazing. This book has to be the most comprehensive work written to date on the subject of Regency masquerade balls.
Interesting as this aspect was (and it is interesting) for me the book came alive in the second half, when the author shifts into sharing with the reader the vital elements of what makes a masquerade ball, such as theme, costume, lighting, entertainments, and food.
Ms Glover explains how the masquerade ball was tantamount to Regency cosplay, and provided a chance to buttoned-up people to adopt another, less inhibited persona. That might have been through the anonymity of the domino (mask and hooded cape) or through fancy dress, suc a lady becoming a milkmaid or a lord a pirate. But as Ms Glover explains in the chapter on balls and national identity, this was a trend imported from Italy, with all the frivolity, acting, and liberal behaviour being a decidedly un-British thing.
There were some fascinating glimpses into the world of the masquerade, such as the artists employed to draw fantastic chalk pictures on the dance floor. The chalk was to stop the dancers slipping, but was also a conscious display of opulence – since the host had to be wealthy to afford such temporary artworks. Then there was the fashion for bright illuminations – in contrast to the idea of a masked ball being a place of dark doings. The bright lighting was desirable as the partying carrying on through the night into the next morning and the illumination help keep people awake!
Recommended as a veritable feast for the detail focussed reader!

When I saw that Anne Glover from Regency Reader wrote this, I knew it’d be good. This has wonderful detail and is meticulously researched, and best read by someone who has at least a superficial knowledge of regency London upper class life.

This goes beyond describing costumes or risqué settings and delves into the power differences, problematic depictions, national identity, and the contradictions inherent in this trendy entertainment of the long Regency. Masquerades as we see them as plot devices in regency romance were much more than places for clandestine activities in a mask.

I’m also buying this in hardcover to have as a reference on my shelf. If you’re a Georgian history fan or you write regency romance, you should too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5 stars)

What an absolute gem of a read — Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain is both academically rigorous and deeply engaging, offering a richly textured glimpse into one of the most fascinating and overlooked aspects of Regency-era culture.

Anne Glover has done an extraordinary job uncovering the world behind the masks. This book goes far beyond the spectacle and flirtation often associated with masquerade balls. Using primary sources with impressive detail, Glover reconstructs not only the lavish settings — from balloon displays to elaborate fancy dress — but also the deeper cultural and political implications of these events. Her exploration of national identity, gender roles, and the complicated legacy of cultural appropriation during the long Regency is especially insightful.

What I appreciated most was the balance: it’s scholarly without ever being dry, and the attention to nuance made this feel like both a history book and a journey. As someone who reads widely in Regency nonfiction, I found so much here that felt fresh and essential. It’s clear that Glover’s research is meticulous and her passion for the subject shines through on every page.

This will be an instant recommendation for anyone interested in Regency history, fashion, or cultural studies — and an automatic buy for my permanent library.

Huge thanks to Pen & Sword for the ARC. Your titles consistently bring the past to life in thoughtful, beautifully presented ways, and I’m always so excited to read what’s next.

Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain offered a detailed snapshot of entertainment in the long Regency period. The book covered venues, performances, food and drink, costumes, and attitudes, making it an informative and interesting read. The inclusion of images added an extra layer and helped to illustrate the text, and there were certainly a lot of fascinating facts presented, making this a book that will appeal to both history buffs and writers of Regency fiction looking to ensure historical accuracy in their tales. I am giving it four stars.

3.5/5 Stars

Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain was a fascinating read and it really opened the doors to see what masquerades were really like in the era of Bridgerton and other of my favorite period dramas.

This was a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read that offered fresh insight into the world of masquerade balls during the Regency period. While many of us are familiar with the glamour of these events through period dramas, particularly with the recent popularity of Bridgerton, this book goes beyond the fiction to reveal the historical realities behind the masks.

Glover engages thoughtfully with the work of other historians and makes excellent use of primary sources, demonstrating the depth her research. The result is a well-rounded and compelling account that brings to life both the opulence of the elite and the individuals involved in creating these spectacular entertainments.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the social history of the Regency period, especially those curious about the cultural and performative aspects of elite society. It's a valuable resource for researchers looking to explore more niche elements of the era.

This fascinating work of scholarship is a feast for the imagination. The level of detail is incredible; the author definitely did her research! Even though the book perhaps could have used tighter organization in places, it is a must-read for anyone who enjoys reading or writing about the Regency era in England. It makes me want to write a novel or watch a movie that includes a scene at one of these sumptuous parties!

I so enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is cross-posted to Goodreads, and will be posted to Amazon and Instagram within one week of publication.