London, 1877. A petite young woman stands before an all-male jury, about to risk everything. She takes a breath, and opens her defence.
Annie Besant and her confidant Charles Bradlaugh are on trial for the sordid crime of publishing and selling a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably – forty-five years before the first woman will be admitted to the English bar – Annie is defending herself. Before Britain’s highest judge she declares it is a woman’s right to choose when, and if, to have children. At a time when women were legally and socially subservient to men, Annie’s defiant voice was a sensation. The riveting trial scandalised newspapers, captivated the British public and sparked a debate over morals, censorship and sex.
Drawing on unpublished archives, private papers and courtroom transcripts – and featuring an incredible cast including Queen Victoria, George Bernard Shaw and London itself – A Dirty, Filthy Book tells the gripping story of a forgotten pioneer who refused to accept the role the Establishment assigned to her. Instead, she chose to resist.
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
ISBN: 9780753559925
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 629 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 36 mm
Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful . . . [A] witty and entertaining account - The Times, Book of the Week
Drawn from newspaper accounts, court records, and Besant's own memoir, Meyer's depiction of Besant fighting for reproductive rights, almost 150 years ago, is truly marvellous . . . Meyer succeeds admirably in his efforts to bring to light the story of a truly remarkable and courageous woman - Kate Lister, Daily Telegraph
Michael Meyer deserves hearty congratulations for returning a remarkable woman to centre stage, where she belongs - Jane Robinson, Times Literary Supplement
Michael Meyer has mined the rich seams of history and woven together a fascinating and gripping narrative. Beautifully told, it has echoes for today. I don’t know how he does it - Adam Hochschild, author of KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST
Annie Besant was a freethinker and a half – an indomitable woman who challenged many of the discriminatory views of her day and put all her energies into social change. A great read - Prof. Helen Pankhurst CBE, Women’s Rights Campaigner
Hugely entertaining, told with verve and humour, with a riveting court trial at its heart. A terrific study of the Victorian controversy and criminalisation of contraception and the dire consequences for women of confusing medicine with morals. At last, Annie Besant has found a champion equal to the task of doing justice to her crusading life and the significance of her achievements. Victorian patriarchy denied Besant her rightful place in political history: Michael Meyer has reinstated her, in all her glorious complexity, as the pioneering feminist changemaker in Britain's history of morals, censorship and sex - Rachel Holmes, author of SYLVIA PANKHURST and ELEANOR MARX
At a time when reproductive rights are being rolled back globally, as well as worryingly close to home, [Besant's] story needs retelling until its message is set in stone - Guardian
Meyer interweaves Besant's multifaceted life into an engaging prose, full of intriguing details - BBC History Magazine
Splendidly researched . . . A superbly written model for those who aspire to write significant but accessible history . . . The book fizzes along - Bob Forder, The Freethinker
This book interested me enormously, I don't often read non-fiction but I'm really glad I picked this up.
'A Dirty, Filthy Book' is a description of a pamphlet published by Annie Besant and...
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I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.
I learned so much reading this book, it was a real pleasure. I was aware of some events and people referenced in this book such...
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Annie Besant and her close friend Charles Bradlaugh are put on trial in 1877 for publishing 'a dirty, filthy book': a pamphlet written by Charles Knowlton concerning birth control and contraceptives.... More
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