The Margate Tales

The humorous anecdotes refined poems astounding newspaper articles and other materials that are gathered here in The Margate Tales present a vivid picture of this seaside town as it rose to become one of Britains most popular resorts. Just as Chaucers Canterbury Tales help us get a feel for how the people in England behaved and thought in the Middle Ages Channings Margate Tales provide us with a unique insight into the people of Thanet as they were described in the 18th and early to mid 19th centuries. The illuminating and entertaining accounts range from furious battles in the letters pages to hilarious pastiches witty verse and surprising discoveries illustrated with numerous contemporary drawings. The end result is that as with Chaucer one realizes how little has in fact changed.