Overview

Libertine London investigates the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830, the period known as the long eighteenth century. It uncovers the various experiences of women, whether mistresses, adulteresses or those involved in the sex trade. From renowned courtesans to downtrodden streetwalkers, Julie Peakman examines the multifaceted lives of these women within brothels, on stage and even behind bars. Based on new research into court transcripts, asylum records, magazines, pamphlets, satires, songs, theatre plays and erotica, we learn of the gruesome treatment of women who were sexually active outside of marriage. Julie Peakman looks at sex from women's points of view, undercutting the traditional image of the bawdy eighteenth century to expose a more sordid side, of women left distressed, ostracised and vilified for their sexual behaviour.

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9781789148473

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Reviews

"""A wide-ranging and richly illustrated guide to the fascinating sexual cultures of eighteenth-century London.""--Fara Dabhoiwala, author of ""The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"" ""The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman's frank and enticing study.""--Penelope J. Corfield, emeritus professor, London University, and author of ""The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain"""

"""A wide-ranging and richly illustrated guide to the fascinating sexual cultures of eighteenth-century London.""--Fara Dabhoiwala, author of ""The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"" ""The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman's frank and enticing study.""--Penelope J. Corfield, emeritus professor, London University, and author of ""The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain"" ""It seems that eighteenth-century brothel owners had their own pre-Viagra cures for erectile dysfunction, aimed at men known as 'flogging cullies.' 'Flagellation was a fixation of the period. . . . The theory was a good flogging would increase the blood rush to the necessary parts, ' notes historian Peakman in Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis. This clear-eyed study of the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830 also notes that diarist Samuel Pepys, a man whose name is usually spoken in reverent terms as a literary giant, was 'a known groper.' That revelation didn't seem to make it into his own diaries.""-- ""Independent"" ""Libertine London is the story of sex in the capital from the Restoration to Jane Austen's time. . . . The material is fascinating, if grotesque.""-- ""Daily Telegraph"""

"""Judging by the satirical cartoons Georgian England was one never-ending sexual playground . . . This fascinating book . . . reveals another, darker, side to this erotic Eden.""-- ""Mail on Sunday"" ""A wide-ranging and richly illustrated guide to the fascinating sexual cultures of eighteenth-century London.""--Fara Dabhoiwala, author of ""The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"" ""The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman's frank and enticing study.""--Penelope J. Corfield, emeritus professor, London University, and author of ""The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain"" ""The frequent unpleasantness of this era's sexual life does not keep this from being a terribly intriguing book, and it's hard to put down. . . . The wide-ranging Libertine London uses research from court transcripts, asylum records, early journalism, pamphlets, songs, plays and pornography, and includes fifty color plates and fifty halftones from the period, which add to the book's allure. . . . A fascinating, grotesque journey that will broaden your view of the days of wigs and knee breeches. It was a lot stickier than you imagined.""-- ""Newcity"" ""With Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis, Julie Peakman has given us an intimate portrayal of women's sexual activity during the long eighteenth century, which ran from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to Waterloo in 1815. . . . a fine introduction to the social history of the period, which aims to look at that magnificent yet squalid era through the eyes of the sex hustlers of the time.""-- ""Brazen Head"" ""It seems that eighteenth-century brothel owners had their own pre-Viagra cures for erectile dysfunction, aimed at men known as 'flogging cullies.' 'Flagellation was a fixation of the period. . . . The theory was a good flogging would increase the blood rush to the necessary parts, ' notes historian Peakman in Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis. This clear-eyed study of the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830 also notes that diarist Samuel Pepys, a man whose name is usually spoken in reverent terms as a literary giant, was 'a known groper.' That revelation didn't seem to make it into his own diaries.""-- ""Independent"" ""Libertine London is the story of sex in the capital from the Restoration to Jane Austen's time. . . . The material is fascinating, if grotesque.""-- ""Daily Telegraph"""

"""A wide-ranging and richly illustrated guide to the fascinating sexual cultures of eighteenth-century London.""--Fara Dabhoiwala, author of ""The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"" ""The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman's frank and enticing study.""--Penelope J. Corfield, emeritus professor, London University, and author of ""The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain"" ""The frequent unpleasantness of this era's sexual life does not keep this from being a terribly intriguing book, and it's hard to put down. . . . The wide-ranging Libertine London uses research from court transcripts, asylum records, early journalism, pamphlets, songs, plays and pornography, and includes fifty color plates and fifty halftones from the period, which add to the book's allure. . . . A fascinating, grotesque journey that will broaden your view of the days of wigs and knee breeches. It was a lot stickier than you imagined.""-- ""Newcity"" ""With Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis, Julie Peakman has given us an intimate portrayal of women's sexual activity during the long eighteenth century, which ran from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to Waterloo in 1815. . . . a fine introduction to the social history of the period, which aims to look at that magnificent yet squalid era through the eyes of the sex hustlers of the time.""-- ""Brazen Head"" ""It seems that eighteenth-century brothel owners had their own pre-Viagra cures for erectile dysfunction, aimed at men known as 'flogging cullies.' 'Flagellation was a fixation of the period. . . . The theory was a good flogging would increase the blood rush to the necessary parts, ' notes historian Peakman in Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis. This clear-eyed study of the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830 also notes that diarist Samuel Pepys, a man whose name is usually spoken in reverent terms as a literary giant, was 'a known groper.' That revelation didn't seem to make it into his own diaries.""-- ""Independent"" ""Libertine London is the story of sex in the capital from the Restoration to Jane Austen's time. . . . The material is fascinating, if grotesque.""-- ""Daily Telegraph"""

Author Information

Julie Peakman is a historian and author of many books on the history of sexuality. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Honorary Fellow at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is a frequent contributor to academic journals, national newspapers and popular magazines and has worked on television documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Sky and the Biography Channel.

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