Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Queer Georgians : A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers - Anthony Delaney

Queer Georgians

A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers

By: Anthony Delaney

Paperback | 13 January 2026

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.44 with

In Stock and Ships in 1-2 business days
The real people that inspired Gentleman Jack and the gay romances in Bridgerton, long written out of the nation's story and now lovingly restored. Based on original archival research by History Hit podcast presenter Dr Anthony Delaney, Queer Georgians transforms our conventional understanding of history.

Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid.

Two women, exiled from their families, set up a utopian homestead in a remote Welsh cottage, inspiring a generation of Romantic poets.

The celebrated Chevalier d'Eon, soldier, diplomat and spy, challenges a rival to a fencing match. The sweepstake is not over who will win, but whether the Chevalier is a man or a woman.

In this dazzling work of restorative history, Dr Anthony Delaney has traced the stories of people daring to challenge society's expectations, unearthing archives and court records to reveal the tragedies and the joys of queer life three centuries ago. Breathing new life into the forgotten and offering radical new interpretations of celebrated figures such as Anne Lister, Queer Georgians is an invitation to view our shared history in a whole new light.

About the Author

Dr Anthony Delaney has a PhD in history from the University of Exeter, where he is an Honorary Fellow, and presents the History Hit podcast After Dark. Queer Georgians is his first book.
Industry Reviews
Anthony Delaney is a superb public historian, words drop off his tongue and flow from his pen with a fluency that is the envy of us all.

Dan Snow, broadcaster and author of Death or Victory

Fascinating, exciting, vivid with stories, and scrupulously researched, the brilliant Queer Georgians tells us so much about the period and so many lives. Anthony Delaney has combed the archives, explored the sources and created a superb book that brings the Georgian world to life and all its secret lives. Wonderful.

Professor Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens

A rare combination of bold ideas, rigorous archival research, and a personal voice, Queer Georgians introduces us to a fascinating range of characters.

Emma Donoghue, author of Room and Passions Between Women

Anthony Delaney's research is sharp, his prose so elegant, and the result is a deeply thoughtful reimagining of the Georgian world... Flawless.

Dr Owen Emmerson, Historical Consultant on Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light (BBC)

An illuminating, deeply researched and deeply felt account of many remarkable lives. Anthony Delaney writes of love in every part of Georgian society - from royal residences to red-light districts - with sensitivity, wit, and learning. This is a fascinating book.

Gareth Russell, author of Queen James and The Palace

In this moving and revelatory book, Anthony Delaney gives a voice to women and men whose lives have been written out of history. At heart, Queer Georgians is about the triumph of love in adversity.

Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five and Story of a Murder

A fascinating story, beautifully told. The many and varied characters are brought vividly to life by the author's keen eye for period detail and lively, evocative writing style. Reading this hitherto hidden history was a revelation. I was utterly enthralled from the first page to the last.

Tracy Borman, Chief Historian, Historic Royal Palaces and author of Private Lives of the Tudors

Anthony Delaney has opened the closet door of Jane Austen’s England and found people of every style - criminalised in their own time, ignored by ours, heroically finding their own ways to make individual lives, families and even communities.

Philippa Gregory, author of Normal Women

In Anthony Delaney’s Queer Georgians, the queer histories of the Georgians are reexamined through a diverse character cast and across a sweeping stage – from lavish aristocratic seats to torrid London prisons – that makes for a compulsive read. Delaney’s book offers a timely window onto a side of Georgian society that is all too rarely seen.

Emily Hauser, author of Mythica

Delaney writes with great precision... It's impossible not to feel invested in the drama and well-being of his most cherished characters... A hugely immersive read... Throughout the book, Delaney applies his rigorous academic discipline with a deft, joyous touch and occasional zeal. Here is a page turner one could as easily read on a beach as in a library. Queer Georgians is utterly riveting.

Tonie Walsh, Irish Independent

What Delaney achieves here is forensic brilliance. He doesn't just examine the famous queers we think we know—he dissects the very historical documents that recorded them, drawing out fascinating and genuinely empowering conclusions about the stubborn permeance of queer people and relationships throughout the last three centuries. It's detective work of the highest order, served with the kind of scholarly rigour that makes you want to clutch your pearls and applaud simultaneously.

Eric Page, Scene Mag

What readers are saying about Queer Georgians: 'Fascinating and enlightening from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down!' 'A book full of stories, gems and moments that will stay with you... A mix of joy, hope and pride on each page.' 'Accessible, relevant, beyond interesting - this is a delightful must-read book!'

Amazon reader reviews

If you’ve been intrigued by the gay romances that featured in Bridgerton, or the legend of Anne Lister, the inspiration behind Sally Wainwright’s 2019 TV drama Gentleman Jack, then Queer Georgians brings both – and more – vividly to life.

Nick Duerden, i paper

More in British & Irish History

The Eagle and the Hart : The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV - Helen Castor
The Making of the Middle Ages : An Atlas of Europe - John Haywood
Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas - Lucy Frost
Say Nothing : True Story Of Murder and Memory In Northern Ireland - Patrick Radden Keefe
The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective - Sara Lodge
The Journals of Captain Cook : Penguin Classics - James Cook

RRP $27.99

$23.75

15%
OFF
The Book of Kells : Unlocking the Enigma - Victoria Whitworth

RRP $69.99

$52.75

25%
OFF
Unruly : A History of England's Kings and Queens - David Mitchell

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
The Siege : The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama - Ben Macintyre
England's Sea Empire, 1550-1642 : Routledge Revivals - David B. Quinn
Bible of British Taste : Stories of Home, People and Place - Ruth Guilding
Jane Austen at Home : A Biography - Lucy Worsley

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
The Anarchy : The Relentless Rise of the East India Company - William Dalrymple