Mr. Punch's History of Modern England (Vol. 1-4)

Punch's History of Modern England is a unique review of the English customs, traditions, education, nobility, courts, fashion, culture, and personalities entirely based on the articles from Punch, the British satirical journal. As the author mentions in the preface, "The Files of Punch have been generally admitted to be a valuable mine of information of the manners, customs and fashions f the Victorian age." This is one of the best examples of Victorian-era humor prose and gives a unique insight into the history of England outside political matters.