Published: 15/08/2024
From Geoffrey Chaucer to Richard Burton, Loxton's effervescent volume captures eighteen famous individuals at eighteen years old to paint a striking picture of the vivacity of youth.
At eighteen, your life is full of possibility. You have everything to look forward to - unless you've got the plague...
In this unconventional and witty history, award-winning writer and broadcaster, Alice Loxton, delves into Britain’s past, exploring the country though eighteen notable figures at this formative age. From a young Empress Matilda, already changing the fate of nations, to Richard Burton, the rugby-obsessed teenager who grew up in a Welsh mining town, each journey unpicks a different era of Britain. Irreverent and full of fascinating tidbits (Did you know Chaucer began his career as a scantily clad pageboy?), Loxton shows how the way a society treats its young, reveals much about its values and foibles.
Seamlessly blending big history with engaging stories of royalty, explorers, writers and entertainers, Eighteen builds a rich mosaic of Britain's past, inviting a journey of discovery. Looking at the role of class, race, and raw ambition, Loxton also asks what lessons we can take for modern Britain – and why the answers might not be what you think.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035031283
Number of pages: 336
Weight: 540 g
Dimensions: 244 x 162 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Alice Loxton is the star of her generation . . . the next big thing in history - Dan Snow, historian and author of On This Day in History, on UPROAR!
Vivid, pacey and endlessly engaging, this brilliant debut brings the late Georgian period dazzlingly to life. Irresistible stuff - Tracy Borman, historian, on UPROAR!
Witty, well-written and full of wonderful detail, UPROAR! is a glorious read - Dr Janina Ramirez, author of Femina, on UPROAR!
Zippy . . . Loxton revels in the tumult and deformity once found so unpalatable... a generous tribute. Loxton sees Gillray as the eternal enemy of priggishness and rates his artistic vision as the equal of William Blake's Henry Hitchings - The Times, on UPROAR!
Lively and engaging . . . This is a story that always bears retelling, and Loxton does so entertainingly - Mail on Sunday, on UPROAR!
Alice Loxton heads the charge of an exciting new generation of historians – this is an exuberant, iconoclastic and, yes, uproarious debut - Jessie Childs, author of The Siege of Loyalty House, on UPROAR!
Alice Loxton is a whirlwind of historical energy and UPROAR! is a sensational debut, which marks her out as one of the brightest new stars of popular history - Dan Jones, author of Powers and Thrones, on UPROAR!
Alice Loxton's analysis of Georgian England is razor sharp, witty and engaging. An appropriately 'laugh out loud' history of the age of satire - Helen Carr, author of The Red Prince, on UPROAR!
A gripping, energetic and easy to follow deep dive into the raucous satire revolution of late Georgian Britain. Alice has created a diamond of a debut book - Tristan Hughes, author of Alexander's Successors at War, on UPROAR!
Exuberant popular history - London Review of Books, on UPROAR!
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“Unusual and interesting format!”
What a usual format for a book! Each chapter focus on a different person, but they are introduced (chronologically) as attending the same 18th birthday party. Across the ages, these people meet, all with the common... More
“Wonderful idea, engagingly told”
I loved the concept of this book from the start and it certainly lived up to my hopes for it. It’s brilliantly simple and allows the author to cover a wide range of topics and eras.
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“She makes History come alive in the most striking way possible.”
‘’Life can be full of difficulties and challenges - those stings of a nettle, those lurking rabbit holes. But by taking that unknown path - by embracing the spirit of being eighteen - the rewards can be manifold. Who... More
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