Heather Moll's Blog 
Excessively Diverted 

Love tokens are legal coins that have been deliberately altered by smoothing them on one or both sides and then engraving them. They’ve existed in Britain since the Roman period. The engravings in the Georgian era typically include initials, names, dates, or more intricate designs such as affectionate phrases or pictures. I use love tokens as gifts in my Pride and Prejudice variation A Most Natural Consequence.

Woodcote Park engraving by John Hassell c. 1816 While plotting what I was then calling “the horse racing book”, I needed an estate that was near to the Epsom race course so my family and their guests could easily walk to take in all the race week events. At the least, they needed to be a short carriage ride away. And rather than make up my own geography of Surrey, I looked at old maps and read about estates from the area for inspiration for the size and style house of someone

I thought I’d share a few illustrations that highlight the hilarity of regency-era parlor games as well as the freedom they gave members of the opposite sex to interact closely. Sometimes very, very closely. This is plate 46, Le dessous du chandelier, from Le Bon Genre 1812. Le Bon Genre: Observations sur les modes et les usages de Paris was a series of satirical prints highlighting social trends and leisure activities. In this print, two men and three women are using candl