For many, queer history began in 1960s New York with the Stonewall Riots, as though nothing and no one had ever come before. In this evocative, wonderfully lively correction to the historical record, Dr. Anthony Delaney uncovers a new era of queer history, illuminating the hard-fought lives of remarkable queer people in the “long eighteenth-century” that have long been lost to the annals of time.

Unfolding between 1726 and 1836, Queer Enlightenments is an inviting, at times deeply affecting, journey through the taverns, prisons, and cruising grounds of a bygone era and into the lives of aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who won or lost their lives in the pursuit of sexual freedom. In London, Mother Clap’s famous Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid. 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 over whether the Chevalier is a man or a woman. Two women, later to be famous for the utopia they created in a Welsh country town, elope to be together in a dramatic escape from their disapproving Irish families. At the court of King George, a silver-tongued noblewoman remarked of one of Queen Caroline’s confidants, “the world consists of men, women, and Herveys.” A Black sex worker endures a degrading trial that labels her the New York “Man-Monster”— but between the lines of its transcripts can be found traces of her life, one of acceptance, resistance, and indomitable spirit.

A dazzling work of restorative history, Queer Enlightenments traces 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.

Praise for Queer Enlightenments: 

“A rare combination of bold ideas, rigorous archival research, and a personal voice, Queer Enlightenments introduces us to a fascinating range of characters.”—Emma Donoghue, author of Room and Passions Between Women

“Fascinating, exciting, vivid with stories, and scrupulously researched, the brilliant Queer Enlightenments 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.”—Kate Williams, New York Times Bestselling author of Becoming Queen Victoria and Royal Historian for CNN

“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, author of Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of Empire

“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

“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)