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Review
`Is London sexy? Catharine's Arnold's sexual history of the capital begins when Southwark was the "Las Vegas of Londinium", but very soon we have exchanged the slave girls of Roman London for the medieval prostitutes of Gropecunt Lane, and then around 1500 the pox arrives and everyone has painful syphilitic buboes...' --The Guardian
Product Description
If Paris is the city of love, then London is the city of lust. For over a thousand years, England's capital has been associated with desire, avarice and the sins of the flesh. Richard of Devises, a monk writing in 1180, warned that 'every quarter [of the city] abounds in great obscenities'. As early as the second century AD, London was notorious for its raucous festivities and disorderly houses, and throughout the centuries the bawdy side of life has taken easy root and flourished. In the third book of her fascinating London trilogy, award-winning popular historian Catharine Arnold turns her gaze to the city's relationship with vice through the ages. From the bath houses and brothels of Roman Londinium, to the stews and Molly houses of the 17th and 18th centuries, London has always traded in the currency of sex. Whether pornographic publishers on Fleet Street, or fancy courtesans parading in Haymarket, its streets have long been witness to colourful sexual behaviour. In her usual accessible and entertaining style, Arnold takes us on a journey through the fleshpots of London from earliest times to present day. Here are buxom strumpets, louche aristocrats, popinjay politicians and Victorian flagellants -- all vying for their place in London's league of licentiousness. From sexual exuberance to moral panic, the city has seen the pendulum swing from Puritanism to hedonism and back again. With later chapters looking at Victorian London and the sexual underground of the 20th century and beyond, this is a fascinating and vibrant chronicle of London at its most raw and ribald.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Truly fascinating history of the world's oldest profession in the world's finest city. Thoroughly researched, but with a lightness of touch that make it a real page-turner. Throughout the (P)ages what comes across is the inevitability of 'business as usual' vs. the arbitrary (and invariably hypocritical) nature of the treatment of the women involved when government makes occasional attempts to atone for the public libido. A great antidote to the more sanitised versions of history most of us were weaned on, and - to this reader at least - all the historical evidence you will ever need that prohibition is utter folly, wishful thinking and criminal stupidity. On a lighter note, the Earl of Rochester's 'debauched poem' (page 90) made me laugh out loud...
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First off, this is not a top shelf book; it is a serious and highly researched work of social history. The story of the social underbelly of London spans 2000 years, from the Romans to Cynthia Payne. What is remarkable is how some things never change - for as long as can be traced London has catered for every vice known to man, which appears to very long list indeed! What amazed me was the level of activity, for want of a better word, that goes on and has gone on, and the fact that social class has nothing to do with who partakes and not always as to who provides. The author does not shirk from describing the desparation, filth and degradation of the (usually) short- lived prostitutes at the bottom end of the market, including the brutality and violence they faced. She also looks at the reasons for earning such a living. On the other hand, there are remarkable stories of women who "made it". For anyone interested in social history this is a fascinating book to read - it deals with an area of life most know nothing about but which is nevertheless very real and likely to always remain.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After reading Ms Arnold's previous books I picked up City of Sin and was not dissapointed. Personally, this is my favourite title. The book is exactly what the title says. It gives details but at the same time isn't something you would be afraid to be seen reading on the train.
The only negative I have is that it did not have much on the present (1950's +). But, you can't have everything.
The only negative I have is that it did not have much on the present (1950's +). But, you can't have everything.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Choice.
The book is awesome, I got it second hand and it came brand new within a few days. I should say the text is on the small side which I didn't see in any review or information.
Published 14 days ago by Emma
Entertaining but why did I bother
The idea of a history of London as a 'city of sin' is an appealing one but it really has to be done much, much better than this. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Franco
entertaining and colourful journey through centuries of sex and...
Arnold examines the city's relationship with vice through the ages. From the bath houses and brothels of Roman Londinium to the stews and Molly houses of the 17th and 18th... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lord Anon
City of Vice
Love the way this book covers all of London's vice history. Great researched material, and well written. Sometimes history books just don't tell a good story! Read more
Published 3 months ago by London boy
A PINCH OF SALT
This is indeed an entertaining and lively book but the author is not very scrupulous about the accuracy of her sources. Worse, at times she gets it plain wrong. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dr. S. J. Wyatt
Sin, vice, everywhere!
This is a very entertaining story of the history of `sinful vices' in London (although background material often comes from further afield). Read more
Published 4 months ago by Keen Reader
Well researched
This work of non-fiction is the third in Catherine Arnold's London series and it's not without merit. It's very well researched and provides a wealth of detail. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jordan
Really interesting - social history and a touch of humour!
I really enjoyed this book - it paints such a vivid picture of London throughout the ages and gives a balanced and fascinating look at the history of prostitution and pornography. Read more
Published 4 months ago by KateyB
Scholarly.... but funny and sexy.
This is a scholarly and well researched history book that is also both funny and sexy. That sounds like an oxymoron but in fact is quite true. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mark Webb
great start but
Was really gripped at the begining but then became bored . Gradually I began to know all the stuff that she was telling me and it became all the usual sinners being trotted out ;... Read more
Published 8 months ago by cartoon
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