1784

Duncan Sprott has collected some of the most humorous and most horrifying stories from the newspapers of 1784 which brings the 18th century to life. There is something here for every taste - highwaymen real and imaginary, duels fatal and ridiculous, reckless wagers, fantastic windfalls and disastrous losses, hailstones 6 inches in diameter, elopements, pirates, perfumes, fashionable parties and accidental poisonings. Famous and infamous alike make exits and entrances, from George III, William Pitt the Younger, Fox and the Duchess of Devonshire, down to the ear-slicing Count de Soissons, Mrs Seagood, Mr Linton and Annabella Wardrobe. The murders and robberies, disasters and tragedies, mysteries, comedies and practical jokes of the year are all represented, as well as the general election and the riots that went with it; the first manned balloon flights in Britain by Lunardi and Blanchard; the activities of the notorious Barrington and the death of Dr Johnson. The author has brought back under the spotlight hundreds of delightful stories which have lain forgotten for two centuries. 1784 is an irresistible book for every historical bedside.