A Dirty, Filthy Book

An empowering and gripping story of a pioneer of women's rights, written by a critically-acclaimed writer and historian, for fans of Hallie Rubenhold, Hermione Lee, and prize-winning Victorian histories.

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 sordid crime of publishing and selling a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably—forty-five years before the first woman will be admitted to the English bar—Annie is defending herself. Before Britain's highest judge, she declares it is a woman's right to choose when, and if, to have children. At a time when women were legally and socially subservient to men, Annie's defiant voice was a sensation. The riveting trial scandalised newspapers, captivated the British public, and sparked a debate over morals, censorship, and sex.

Drawing on unpublished archives, private papers, and courtroom transcripts—and featuring an incredible cast including Queen Victoria, George Bernard Shaw, and London itself—A Dirty, Filthy Book tells the gripping story of a forgotten pioneer who refused to accept the role the Establishment assigned to her. Instead, she chose to resist.