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A dirty, filthy book : sex, scandal, and one woman's fight in the Victorian trial of the century

Meyer, Michael, 1972-2024
Book
London, 1877. Annie Besant and her confidant Charles Bradlaugh are on trial for the sordid crime of publishing and selling a birth control pamphlet. Remarkably - 45 years before the first woman will be admitted to the English bar - Annie is defending herself - declaring a woman's right to choose when, and if, to have children. At a time when women were legally and socially subservient to men, Annie's defiant voice was a sensation. The trial scandalised newspapers, captivated the British public and sparked a debate over morals, censorship and sex. Drawing on unpublished archives, private papers and courtroom transcripts - and featuring an incredible cast including Queen Victoria, George Bernard Shaw and London itself - 'A Dirty, Filthy Book' tells the gripping story of a forgotten pioneer who refused to accept the role the Establishment assigned to her. Instead, she chose to resist.
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