Brittany & Its Byways

Palliser, Bury, Mrs., 1805-1878Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 372K words
Chapters: 38

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Brittany & Its Byways by Mrs. Bury PalliserAuthor: Palliser, Bury, Mrs., 1805-1878,Language: English, Class: DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco, Release Date: Sep 21, 2007

Editor's review

Brittany & Its Byways is a travel account of Brittany, France, by Mrs. Bury Palliser, belonging to the public-domain works of history and geography. Taking "byways" as its thread, the author turns her attention to Breton towns, villages, churches, and local sights and customs, carrying the typical character of nineteenth-century travel literature: it records what was seen along the way while also attending to local history, architecture, and folklore. For readers who wish to understand the local character of Brittany and the image it presented to travelers of an earlier day, this book offers a text informed by the perspective of its era. Its value lies not in practical, guidebook-style information but in presenting a slow mode of observation and in showing how British travelers of a particular age regarded the rural west of France. It is best read as a historical travel document rather than a modern tourist guide. As a Project Gutenberg e-book, it is convenient for searching place names and personal names, and is suitable for reading alongside maps or related local-history materials.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the local history and sights of Brittany, France
Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century travel literature and the travel-account form
Researchers seeking material on local history, architecture, and folklore
Travelers planning an in-depth trip to Brittany who want to add humanistic background

Not a good fit for

Modern travelers needing the latest transport and accommodation information
Readers who prefer fast-paced narrative or fiction
Beginners unfamiliar with English and without reference materials to assist them

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents to identify places of interest, then jump to the relevant chapters by location.
Read alongside a map or local gazetteer to help reconstruct the routes and bearings in the book.
Take brief notes on architectural and historical terms to connect and understand them as you go.
Treat it as background reading rather than a guide, and before a trip read selectively the parts related to your destination.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this book be used as a modern travel guide to Brittany?

No. It is a nineteenth-century travel account, and practical information such as transport, accommodation, and fares has long been outdated. Its use lies in providing background knowledge on local history, architecture, and local customs; before a trip it can supplement your humanistic understanding, but for specific itineraries you still need to consult modern guides.

What does the book mainly cover?

It unfolds around Breton towns, country roads, church architecture, local history, and local observations, and belongs to the literature of travel impressions and local topography. It emphasizes observation and description rather than a systematic general history of the region.

What if the English original is difficult to read?

You can first use maps and place-name indexes to locate chapters and read in sections with a dictionary; or begin with the parts related to places you already know to reduce unfamiliarity. If your main aim is to understand the content, you can read it alongside Chinese local-history materials for cross-reference.

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About the author

Palliser, Bury, Mrs., 1805-1878 Author

Mrs. Bury Palliser (1805–1878), born Fanny Bury Palliser, was a nineteenth-century British writer whose work centred on costume and regional culture. She is best known for History of Lace, a systematic account of the origins and styles of European lacemaking that was taken seriously on publication and is still regarded as an important reference in the field. Her other work, Brittany & Its Byways, records her observations of the landscapes, customs and people of Brittany in France, and reads as a travelogue and cultural essay. Her writing leans toward careful documentation and first-hand observation, with a plain and detailed style that combines craft history with regional culture, and it remains useful to later studies of lace and of Brittany. Beyond these two works, public information about her life and nationality is limited, and no further records are available in our collection.