Samuel Johnson once noted: "We must consider how little history there is; I mean real authentick history". Doubtless, he would have been less pessimistic had he been afforded the opportunity of reading this tour-de-force from Roy Porter. Despite a truly staggering depth of research, Enlightenment remains thankfully free of the academic stodginess which can so often mark works of history. Porter's style is brilliantly engaging, bringing to life the constant flux of the Georgian era, and distilling for the reader the essence of the cultural and social development it fostered. Brimming with quotes and fascinating asides about the characters of the age, this book is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of a fascinating era. Superb.