As I mentioned on Sunday, some posts will be going paid, but all annual subscribers will receive a copy of my new book Born: A History of Childbirth (August 2025) signed or dedicated with an Inglis bookplate as soon as the book is available to me.
Good reviews are always exciting to receive. Books take me a long time to write and while I try and maintain a fairly neutral stance on my non-fiction subjects, the personal investment is huge. Negative or objectively critical reviews are acceptable, but many negative reviews are meant only to be hurtful and say more about the reviewer than the book, so it’s best to ignore them in the main.
This year marks 11 years since the publication of Georgian London, which was my first book under my own name. A big moment. To be published by Penguin as a debut author is something of a rollercoaster, but I was fortunate to have a fantastic team behind me, bolstering my confidence and putting me at ease with the process. It’s always a nerve-wracking moment when the first reviews start to come in, which of course, as a first-timer, you read with baited breath.
Of all the reviews for GL, I was overjoyed to receive a glowing review from none other than the Sunday Sport. Yes, that’s right. The Sport. London Bus Found On The Moon! Elvis Spotted At Dagenham Bus Depot! Jeremy Corbyn Sex Dwarf Eaten By Otters! The Sport appeals to my taste for the ridiculous, and was one of the papers always kicking about our house on a Sunday along with the standard broadsheets. So imagine my great pride in featuring in their book review section - yes, The Sport has a book review section.
Et, voila!
Marvellous. But this is still not my favourite review of Georgian London. Yesterday I was rooting about in the office and I found my old working copy of GL.
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