A Dirty, Filthy Book
Annie Besant’s Fight for Reproductive Rights
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Ebury Publishing
Publishing:6th Feb '25
£10.99
This title is due to be published on 6th February, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£25.00(9780753559925)
‘Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful’ The Times
--_
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 crime of publishing a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably, Annie is defending herself against obscenity charges 45 years before women can practice law in England. At a time when women were expected to be obedient, Annie’s fearless voice was a sensation and spotlighted issues of sex, censorship and morality.
A Dirty, Filthy Book tells the gripping story of a little-known pioneer who refused to accept the role that the establishment assigned her, and chose instead to resist.
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
ISBN: 9780753559949
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 35mm
Weight: 500g
320 pages