Eighteenth-century Bath was at the centre of English culture and fashion. A pleasure resort as well as a spa town, it played host to the beau monde in search of diversion in addition to the infirm in search of a cure by taking its waters. Its pump room, assembly rooms and theatre attracted aristocracy and gentry from all over the country, particularly under the auspices of Master of Ceremonies Beau Nash, notable dandy and leader of fashion. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Thomas Gainsborough and Jane Austen were among its famous visitors and residents. Life & Letters at Bath in the Eighteenth Century chronicles this fascinating period in the history of the city and gives details of the wide variety of famous people associated with it.