The Theatric Tourist is the only account of British theatre written by a man who was both an actor and a manager as well as author and artist. James Winston travelled throughout Britain recording details and making sketches of nearly 300 theatres. It was published in 1804-05 as a deluxe edition with 24 hand-coloured plates and 72 pages of text. Very few copies survive ­and have never before been reprinted. Winston’s individual style recounting the buildings, players and atmosphere of the time is a unique record of Georgian playhouses and a valuable piece of social history for anyone interested in the performing arts in Britain in the early nineteenth century.

This beautifully produced facsimile was published to mark the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Society for Theatre Research

Hardback; 96 pp, 24 col ill., ISBN 978 0 7123 5015 0

Co-published with British Library Publishing.