COVENT GARDEN LADIES (PB)

In 1757 a salacious little book called Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, detailing the names and 'specialities' of the capital's sex-workers, became one of the eighteenth century's most scandalous bestsellers. Yet beyond its titillating passages lies a glimpse into the lives of those who lived and died by its profits - a tragicomic opera of the Georgian era, motivated by poverty, passionate love, aspiration and shame. This book reveals the story behind the list and the legion of ordinary women whose lives history has chosen to ignore.