Alice Loxton is the star of her generation ... the next big thing in history' ― Dan Snow
Zippy... Loxton revels in the tumult and deformity once found so unpalatable... a generous tribute. Loxton sees Gillray as the eternal enemy of priggishness and rates his artistic vision as the equal of William Blake's -- Henry Hitchings ― The Times
Lively and engaging... This is a story that always bears retelling, and Loxton does so entertainingly -- Kathryn Hughes ― Mail on Sunday
An irreverent gallop through the scandalous streets of Georgian London... Alice Loxton's vivacious prose brings to life the competitive, combative climate... the historian and are swept along by the breaking stories of the day -- Charlotte Mullins ― Country Life
Witty, well-written and full of wonderful detail, UPROAR! is a glorious read. A whistle-stop tour through the tumultuous eighteenth century, Loxton made me howl with laughter along the way. Her insights into the art, culture and downright gossip of the time makes this a unique book -- Dr Janina Ramirez, author of FEMINA
Alice Loxton heads the charge of an exciting new generation of historians - this is an exuberant, iconoclastic and, yes, uproarious debut -- Jessie Childs, author of THE SIEGE OF LOYALTY HOUSE
Vivid, pacey and endlessly engaging, this brilliant debut brings the late Georgian period dazzlingly to life. Irresistible stuff -- Tracy Borman, author of CROWN AND SCEPTRE
Alice lives and breathes history - it's almost uncanny. I think she may have come from the past -- Dr Sam Willis, author of THE STRUGGLE FOR SEA POWER
Loxton writes with a terrific sense of time and place. She delivers Georgian Britain in a bold modern manner, with plenty of bounce -- Franny Moyle, author of DESPERATE ROMANTICS
Alice Loxton is a whirlwind of historical energy and UPROAR! is a sensational debut, which marks her out as one of the brightest new stars of popular history -- Dan Jones, author of POWERS AND THRONES
A rollicking ride through late 18th century Britain in all its effervescent rudeness and hilarity. Hugely entertaining -- Dr Linda Porter, author of MISTRESSES
Alice Loxton's analysis of Georgian England is razor sharp, witty and engaging. An appropriately "laugh out loud" history of the age of satire -- Helen Carr, author of THE RED PRINCE
As wittily subversive and deeply entertaining as the material it details, Alice Loxton's Uproar is a delightful romp through the colourful and controversial eighteenth century. Loxton has built a time-machine in a book, and invited us all along for a ride. I would suggest you hop in! -- Joanne Paul, author of THE HOUSE OF DUDLEY
Alice Loxton's UPROAR! is a delight: an energetic and highly enjoyable exploration of the careers and the turmoil of the social and political world of the leading caricaturists of the great age of satire, Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray, and Isaac Cruikshank. So rich is her research and so vivid is her prose that we emerge from reading this book feeling that we have argued, laughed and drunk punch with these men and felt the fierce brilliance of their minds and their art - which shines bright still today -- Jeremy Musson
As vivid and vibrant as any Rowlandson print - bawdy, beautiful, and brilliant -- Kate Lister, author of A CURIOUS HISTORY OF SEX
Loxton plunges us headfirst into the tumultuous world of London's eighteenth-century printmakers in this lively, riveting and pacy account -- Charlotte Mullins, author of A LITTLE HISTORY OF ART
A gripping, energetic and easy to follow deep dive into the raucous satire revolution of late Georgian Britain. Alice has created a diamond of a debut book -- Tristan Hughes, author of ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS AT WAR
Bursting with energy and written with style and sophistication, Alice Loxton provides her readers with a dazzling and tantalising glimpse into the complex and colourful world of eighteenth-century Britain. Alice is a tour de force, and her magnificent debut showcases her star quality and her talent for storytelling. -- Nicola Tallis, author of ALL THE QUEEN'S JEWELS
** LONGLISTED FOR BLACKWELL’S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023**
“SPLENDID AND WONDERFULLY READABLE” - The Guardian
In March 2023, I published my debut non-fiction history book, UPROAR!, which tells the thrilling story of London’s satirists from the late Georgian period.
I’m delighted to say that it’s been a huge success so far, and lots of fun. It all kicked off with a packed out launch at Daunt Books in Marylebone - with William Pitt in attendance! Since then there has been lots of media attention, some sparkling reviews and better sales than we were prepared for, with UPROAR! topping many Amazon charts.
Once more, It was reviewed in The Times, The New Statesman, TLS, LRB, The Guardian, The Spectator, BBC History Magazine, Country Life and The Mail on Sunday. I also wrote a piece which was printed in The Telegraph, and appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends and twice on Times Radio.
As part of the campaign, I recreated a Georgian print shop window in London - perhaps for the first time since the Georgian Age!
I also have a pretty packed line up of live events - Oxford Literary Festival, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival and Chalke Valley History Festival - and I’m excited to be working with the Royal Collection Trust, The National Archives, The Georgian Group, the Jane Austen House in Chawton and others to discuss UPROAR!
A brilliant new history of Georgian Britain through the eyes of the artists who immortalised it, by one of the UK's most exciting young historians.
London, 1772: a young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power.
Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day.
UPROAR! fizzes with energy on every page. Alice Loxton writes with verve and energy, never failing to convince in her thesis that Gillray and his gang profoundly altered British humour, setting the stage for everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to Private Eye and Spitting Image today. This is a book that will cause readers to reappraise everything they think they know about genteel Georgian London, and see it for what it was - a time of UPROAR!
Published by Icon Books
Release date: 2nd March 2023
ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!
I would always recommend purchasing from your local independent bookshop, but here are some alternatives:
Bookshop.org (supports independents)
EVENTS
Thursday 30th March - London Original Print Fair at Somerset House
Friday 31st March - In conversation with Dan Snow at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Literary Festival
Friday 21st April - In conversation with Dan Snow, Winchester Books Festival
Tuesday 27th June - Royal Collection Trust online discussion
Wednesday 5th July - The Lansdowne Club
Friday 27th October - The Pitt Club Cambridge, annual lecture
More dates being confirmed!