VIC Gatrell takes us on a journey into 18th century London life, focusing on the painters, engravers, poets, actors, market-stall sellers, aristocrats, drunkards and prostitutes that populated the areas around Covent Garden and Soho.
Gatrell's previous book, City Of Laughter: Sex And Satire In Eighteenth-Century London, was both wonderfully rude and raucous, and an irreverently sardonic celebration of London life. The First Bohemians is written in the same vein.
The prose and the quality of the detail sparkle and, alongside over two hundred images, bring the square vividly to life. Whether it be running scared of the so-called 'mohocks' - gangs of young aristocratic men intent on wreaking havoc - or heading to Tom King's Coffee House - one of the best known local dives and a famous pick-up place - the detail is exquisite.
The art scene is painted vigorously, and the lives and works of William Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson and George Morland, are explored, explicated and celebrated with great enthusiasm. Not to mention the lives of countless nameless distressed poets and artists who added to the daily humdrum of the scenes one might encounter in the piazza.
Rating: 8/10
Review: Darren Heath
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here