Book cover titled 'Queer Georgians' by Anthony Delaney, with a blue-tinted image of Lord Hervey on a blue background and a Penguin logo at the bottom right.

Queer Georgians

by Anthony Delaney

A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers

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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.

Queer Georgians has been listed amongst the Best History Books of 2025 by Waterstones, Blackwells, The iPaper and Book Riot in the US.

A quote by Lucy Worsley in black text on a white background, with large black quotation marks at the top left and bottom right. The quote reads, "Serious, but immensely readable... I wish this book had been available ten years ago!"
Quotation about Anthony Delaney giving voice to marginalized people, emphasizing love in adversity, attributed to Hallie Rubenhold.
Quote about queer Georgians and gay romances from Nick Duerden's 'The i Paper' with large black quotation marks on a white background.
Quote from Philippa Gregory about Anthony Delaney opening the closet door of Jane Austen's England and discovering diverse, criminalized, heroic individuals impacting lives, families, and communities.
Quote praising Delaneys writing and highlighting its readability and engaging quality, attributed to Tonie Walsh, Irish Independent.