The Books of Downton Abbey

Devotees of the Downton Abbey TV series will have been intrigued by the numerous references to contemporary literature. Most viewers will have recognised the references and many will have read the books already. However, a considerable number will either not recognise the titles or have intended to read them but never got round to doing so. Some of the books referred to are daunting in size and could put off the most ardent enthusiast. We have therefore drawn up a list of the most significant references and aim to give our readers at least a ‘taste’ of the larger works, and where practical the whole of a shorter book or a poem. In each instance we have included a brief description of the scene in the Downton series which contains the relevant reference.
We do not claim to be exhaustive but we have selected the books and poems with care. Where an author is mentioned, but no specific book, we have chosen a work which we consider best represents both the author in question and the context of the Downton quote.
We very much hope that readers will enjoy our ‘tasters’ and be encouraged to read more of those books which they find appealing.