Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune
How Younger Sons Made Their Way in Jane Austen's England

A fascinating social history of class, money, work and social status.......more

Useful, thought-provoking history This is an incredibly useful compilation of the real histories of younger sons of the English gentry. Rory Muir uses statistics, journals, letters, and other historical sources to explain the careers that younger sons chose and how much it cost their parents to set t......more

I don't know if I can say enough about how interesting this book was. Though rather dense at times (and it took me quite a while to get through the whole thing), it is a detailed look at the lives of the younger sons of the gentry. While mostly focused on their professions, it is a fascinating look......more

I thoroughly enjoyed it but it needed a stronger line of argument and to focus more on the experience of being a younger son. Too often the author shaped the material more in the direction of what certain careers were like. What struck me most was how little has changed: connections still matter and......more