Radical Underworld: Prophets, Revolutionaries, and Pornographers in London, 1795-1840 (Clarendon Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Iain McCalman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198122861 | ISBN-13: 978-0198122869 | Publication Date: September 30, 1993

This highly acclaimed study draws on information from spy reports and contemporary literature to look at English popular radicalism during the period between the anti-Jacobin government "Terror" of the 1790s and the beginnings of Chartism. The book traces for the first time the history of the underground revolutionary-republican grouping founded by the agrarian reformer, Thomas Spence. Challenging conventional distinctions between "high" and "low" culture, McCalman illuminates the darker, more populist sides of Romanticism. Radical Underworld broadens the conventional boundaries of popular politics and culture by exploring a political underworld connected with poverty, crime, prophetic religion, and literary culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] beautifully researched and crafted book....It is a model for the cultural history of politics and popular entertainment."--American Historical Review

"Gives students a fascinating perspective on the underworld of British society. A useful alternative to traditional historiography."--Frederick Krome, Northern Kentucky University

"Every aspect of popular culture becomes a potential source of enlightenment for McCalman as he leads the reader on an unpredictable, sometimes harrowing, journey through the radical underworld."--Journal of Modern History

About the Author

Iain McCalman is at Australian National University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198122861
• ISBN-13: 978-0198122869
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,714,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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