The Covent Garden Ladies

By: Hallie Rubenhold

Narrated by: Emily Pennant-Rea, Hallie Rubenhold

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

The book that inspired BBC 2’s Harlots, now with a new preface read by the author.

From the best-selling author of The Five.

1757 - Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a salacious publication detailing the names and 'specialties' of the capital's prostitutes, eventually became one of the 18th century's most successful literary works as well as an essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure.

Beyond its titillating passages lay a glimpse into the sex lives of those who lived and died by the list's profits during the Georgian era.

The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of three unusual characters whose colourful lives were brought together by this publication.

Its story plunges the listener down the dark alleys of 18th-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharks and, of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel keepers.

©2005 Hallie Rubenhold (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"Rubenhold proves herself both a keen researcher and a writer who understands narrative tension...a compelling and ingenious book." (The Independent)

"Scrupulously researched and cleverly structured.... Among the scurrilous tales of 18th-century low life...this one is the most intriguing." (The Daily Telegraph)