"The one thing which more than any other, for an American, distinguishes English life and civilization from his own is - aristocracy. [...] After twelve years spent in England, the spectacle was to me as remarkable as ever."The journalist and member of the diplomatic service Adam Badeau presents various aspects of English aristocracy, from primogeniture to rank and title, from sports to the London season, from the House of Lords to the House of Commons. Reprint of the 1886 edition.