Bedlam
Found a better price? Request a price match
Bedlam
Latest News
Jon Toogood visits Book Hero
We were so honoured to have Aotearoa's own royal rock legend Jon Toogood visit Book...
New Hero Alert! Meet Liam - our new Bookstore Hero
We’re thrilled to welcome Liam to the Book Hero team! You’ll find him in our...
Celebrating Bird of the Year 2026 with Bird Books
Today I've got a couple of INCREDIBLE bird books as well as a reading list...
Amelia's Favourite Puzzle Vibe: What Makes a Puzzle Cosy?
What makes a puzzle feel cosy? Amelia shares her favourite puzzle vibe, from bookshops and...
The Book Briefing: 23rd September
Another busy day in the reading world with new book announcements and reveals, events happening...
See moreThe debut novel from one of our most acclaimed art critics takes us into the tortured, strange and surprising mind of the Victorian painter Richard Dadd, painter of fairies and murderer of his father.
The debut novel from one of our most acclaimed art critics takes us into the tortured, strange and surprising mind of the Victorian painter Richard Dadd, painter of fairies and murderer of his father.
Bedlam is inspired by a year in the life of Richard Dadd, a great Victorian painter and inmate of London’s Bethlem Hospital. It's a poetic and considered portrait of an artist, as well as an intriguing mystery about how, and why, a mind can go so swiftly and dangerously awry.
In 1842 Dadd took a Grand Tour of Europe and the Middle East. Within a year he had become a devotee of the god Osiris, and then become a killer, acting under the assumed direction of the Egyptian divinity.
Series: Verso Fiction
View allBook Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781836742043
Publisher: Verso Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 July 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Verso Books
Edition: Paperback original
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 204g
Pages: 240
About the Author
Jennifer Higgie is an Australian writer who lives in London. Previously the editor of frieze magazine, and the presenter of Bow Down, a podcast about women in art history, she is the author and illustrator of the children’s book There’s Not One; the editor of The Artist’s Joke and the author of The Mirror & The Palette: Rebellion, Revolution & Resistance, 500 Years of Women's Self Portraits, and The Other Side: Women, Art and the Spirit World.
Also by Jennifer Higgie
View allMore from Historical Fiction
View allWhy buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Historical Fiction lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!



