The Covent Garden Ladies

<p><b>***By the No. 1 <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of THE FIVE***<br></b><b><i>'A </i>fascinating expose of the seamy side of eighteenth century life' <i>MAIL ON SUNDAY</i></b><br><b>'Rubenhold's pages practically reek with smelly pox-ridden Georgian Soho'</b> <b><i>GUARDIAN</i></b><br><b><i>-------------------------------------------------------</i></b><br><br>In<b> 1757</b> a down-and-out Irish poet the head waiter at the Shakespear's Head Tavern in Covent Garden and a celebrated London courtesan became bound together by the publication of a little book: <i>Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies. </i>This salacious work - detailing the names and 'specialities' of the capital's sex-workers- became one of the eighteenth century's most scandalous bestsellers.<br><br>Yet beyond its titillating passages lies a glimpse into the lives of those who lived and died by its profits - a tragicomic opera of the Georgian era motivated by poverty passionate love aspiration and shame. <br><br><b>In this modern and visceral narrative historian Hallie Rubenhold reveals the story behind <i>Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies</i> and the legion of ordinary women whose lives in the sex trade history has chosen to ignore. <br></b><br><br>'Scrupulously researched' <i><b>DAILY TELEGRAPH</b></i><br><br>'Crackles with drama and tension' <b><i>GUARDIAN</i></b><br><br><b><i>'</i>Compelling and ingenious' <i>INDEPENDENT</i></b><br><br><br><b>WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:</b><br><br>'This book is an absolute 'must'-read for any person interested in English social history' <b>5 ****</b><br>'Fascinating' 5 ****<br>'Brilliant. Full of intelligent insight which brings this period to vibrant life' <b>5 ****</b></p>