The Riddle of the Deplorable Dandy: A Novel of Georgian England by Patricia Veryan Elspeth Clayton's family has been living in considerably reduced circumstances, and to improve their finances, her brother Vance becomes a soldier of fortune. His assignments take him to France, where he is caught up in political intrigues. Injured in an attempt to escape a troop of dragoons, he is arrested and held in a French gaol for questioning and probable execution. In...

Today, more men are discovering dandyism and giving it their own contemporary look. Even today, men who devote themselves to the finer things in life, especially when it comes to fashion, mostly arouse suspicion. Vanity is frowned upon and lavish grooming is generally deemed superficial or unmanly. Fortunately, a small but tenacious movement has been defying these social dictates for more than 200 years. Its adherents indulge in their love of quality...