Mike Rendell

To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Robinson Crusoe, this book looks at some of the stories, which inspired Daniel Defoe -stories of bravery, courage, determination and good fortune. It looks at Defoe's life and the monumental success of his novel -sometimes described as being the first in the English language. It also considers some of the reasons why people found themselves cast away -as a result of being wrecked, by being abandoned...

In Bed with the Georgians provides a fascinating insight into life under the bed-clothes in Georgian England, where the Madams and pimps were able to thrive in the eighteenth century like never before. It looks at high-class seraglios as well as the brothels, jelly-houses and bagnios which flourished openly, especially in the area around Covent Garden. It looks at courtesans from the highest echelons of society, the kept women, the sex-workers in...

This book will look at the phenomenon of celebrity hookers in the eighteenth century — all of them the subject of extraordinary press scrutiny and comment. They were the fashion icons of the age, and what they wore was copied and put on sale in the high street within days. Many of them were passed around within the same small circle of aristocratic lovers. They were the object of constant gossip and whether they were flaunting their fame by taking...

Peek beneath the bedsheets of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Britain in this affectionate, informative, and fascinating look at sex and sexuality during the reigns of Georges I-IV. It examines the prevailing attitudes towards male and female sexual behavior, and the ways in which these attitudes were often determined by those in positions of power and authority. It also explores our ancestors' ingenious, surprising, bizarre, and often entertaining...