Listen to a sample
A Dirty, Filthy Book
- Author
- Michael Meyer
- Narrator
- Rachel Bavidge
- Publisher
- Ebury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 8 February 2024
- Run Time
- 10 hours 26 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
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 crime of publishing a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably, Annie is defending herself against obscenity charges 45 years before women can practice law in England. At a time when women were expected to be obedient, Annie’s fearless voice was a sensation and spotlighted issues of sex, censorship and morality.
A Dirty, Filthy Book tells the gripping story of a little-known pioneer who refused to accept the role that the establishment assigned her, and chose instead to resist.
‘Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful’ The Times
©2024 Michael Meyer (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Critics Review
-
Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful . . . [A] witty and entertaining account
The Times, Book of the Week
-
Drawn from newspaper accounts, court records, and Besant's own memoir, Meyer's depiction of Besant fighting for reproductive rights, almost 150 years ago, is truly marvellous . . . Meyer succeeds admirably in his efforts to bring to light the story of a truly remarkable and courageous woman
Daily Telegraph
-
Michael Meyer deserves hearty congratulations for returning a remarkable woman to centre stage, where she belongs
Times Literary Supplement
-
Michael Meyer has mined the rich seams of history and woven together a fascinating and gripping narrative. Beautifully told, it has echoes for today. I don’t know how he does it
Adam Hochschild, author of KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
Annie Besant was a freethinker and a half – an indomitable woman who challenged many of the discriminatory views of her day and put all her energies into social change. A great read
Prof. Helen Pankhurst CBE, Women’s Rights Campaigner
-
Hugely entertaining, told with verve and humour, with a riveting court trial at its heart. A terrific study of the Victorian controversy and criminalisation of contraception and the dire consequences for women of confusing medicine with morals. At last, Annie Besant has found a champion equal to the task of doing justice to her crusading life and the significance of her achievements. Victorian patriarchy denied Besant her rightful place in political history: Michael Meyer has reinstated her, in all her glorious complexity, as the pioneering feminist changemaker in Britain's history of morals, censorship and sex
Rachel Holmes, author of SYLVIA PANKHURST and ELEANOR MARX
-
At a time when reproductive rights are being rolled back globally, as well as worryingly close to home, [Besant's] story needs retelling until its message is set in stone
Guardian
-
Meyer interweaves Besant's multifaceted life into an engaging prose, full of intriguing details
BBC History Magazine
-
Splendidly researched . . . A superbly written model for those who aspire to write significant but accessible history . . . The book fizzes along
The Freethinker
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Michael Meyer
- Narrator
- Rachel Bavidge
- Duration
- 10 hours 26 minutes
- Release Date
- 8 February 2024
- ISBN
- 9780753560280
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Ebury Publishing
- Genre
- Social and cultural history, Ethical issues: abortion and birth control, European history, Feminism and feminist theory, Biography: historical, political and military, Legal history, Human rights, civil rights
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.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 crime of publishing a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably, Annie is defending herself against obscenity charges 45 years before women can practice law in England. At a time when women were expected to be obedient, Annie’s fearless voice was a sensation and spotlighted issues of sex, censorship and morality.A Dirty, Filthy Book tells the gripping story of a little-known pioneer who refused to accept the role that the establishment assigned her, and chose instead to resist.‘Makes the case for Annie Besant as a truly eminent Victorian, as brilliant and fearless as she was beautiful’ The Times©2024 Michael Meyer (P)2024 Penguin Audio
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.