One Hot Summer. Dickens, Darwin, Disraeli and the Great Stink of 1858

 

What traumatic even in the summer of 1858 galvanised Darwin into finally writing Origin of Species?  What led Dickens, in those same months, to cause anguish to his family and friends, nearly lose the admiration of his readers, and then emerge more popular than ever?  And how did Disraeli, then chancellor of the Exchequer with a reputation for being flashy, reckless, and disloyal, seize the moment and win over parliament, the press, and Queen Victoria?

Rosemary Ashton mines Victorian letters, gossip, diaries, court records, newspapers, and other contemporary sources to uncover historically crucial moments in the lives of three main protagonists: Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Disraeli.  She also introduces others who gained renown in the headlines of the day, among them George Eliot, Karl Marx, William Thackery and Bulwer Lytton.

With all her characteristic skill and immense historical understanding, Ashton reveals invisible threads of connection between Londoners at every social level in 1858, vibrantly bringing the celebrated city and its citizens to life.

 

Rosemary Ashton explores what happens in between great events and great people, and connects previously unconnected subjects and ideas.  It is history as it should be written, but so rarely is.

Judith Flanders, author of The Victorian City

 

The new celebrity cult developed by the popular press collided with the revolting state of the Thames in that hot summer. Rosemary Ashton’s brilliant description of the result is a ‘must-read’, whatever this summer brings.

Liza Picard, author of Victorian London