UPROAR!: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London

London, 1772: a young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power. Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day. Alice Loxton's writing fizzes with energy on every page, and never fails to convince us that Gillray and his gang profoundly altered British humour, setting the stage for everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to Private Eye and Spitting Image today. This is a book that will cause readers to reappraise everything they think they know about genteel Georgian London, and see it for what it was - a time of UPROAR! AUTHOR: Alice Loxton is a 27-year-old historian and the lead female presenter at History Hit TV, where she regularly co-presents documentaries with Dan Snow. She is also a well-loved face of the History Hit YouTube channel, and shares her passion for history with over a million followers on TikTok and Instagram.

About the Author :
Alice Loxton is a history broadcaster and writer. She has over two million followers on social media (@history_alice). She has appeared on many channels including Sky Arts, Channel 5, BBC News and History Hit, and has worked with a wide array of organisations to bring history to mainstream audiences (including Christie's, Meta, The National Trust, 10 Downing Street, The Royal Collection Trust, The National Portrait Gallery and The National Gallery). UPROAR! is Alice's first book.

Review :
Alice Loxton is the star of her generation ... the next big thing in history Zippy... Loxton revels in the tumult and deformity once found so unpalatable... a generous tribute. Loxton sees Gillray as the eternal enemy of priggishness and rates his artistic vision as the equal of William Blake's Lively and engaging... This is a story that always bears retelling, and Loxton does so entertainingly [A] vivid history of Georgian satire Loxton's bringing together of Thomas Rowlandson, Isaac Cruikshank and James Gillray to tell the "tumultuous" history of late-eighteenth-century caricature is informed and intelligent. An irreverent gallop through the scandalous streets of Georgian London... Alice Loxton's vivacious prose brings to life the competitive, combative climate... the historian and are swept along by the breaking stories of the day Witty, well-written and full of wonderful detail, UPROAR! is a glorious read. A whistle-stop tour through the tumultuous eighteenth century, Loxton made me howl with laughter along the way. Her insights into the art, culture and downright gossip of the time makes this a unique book Alice Loxton heads the charge of an exciting new generation of historians - this is an exuberant, iconoclastic and, yes, uproarious debut Vivid, pacey and endlessly engaging, this brilliant debut brings the late Georgian period dazzlingly to life. Irresistible stuff Alice lives and breathes history - it's almost uncanny. I think she may have come from the past Loxton writes with a terrific sense of time and place. She delivers Georgian Britain in a bold modern manner, with plenty of bounce Alice Loxton is a whirlwind of historical energy and UPROAR! is a sensational debut, which marks her out as one of the brightest new stars of popular history A rollicking ride through late 18th century Britain in all its effervescent rudeness and hilarity. Hugely entertaining Alice Loxton's analysis of Georgian England is razor sharp, witty and engaging. An appropriately "laugh out loud" history of the age of satire As wittily subversive and deeply entertaining as the material it details, Alice Loxton's Uproar is a delightful romp through the colourful and controversial eighteenth century. Loxton has built a time-machine in a book, and invited us all along for a ride. I would suggest you hop in! Alice Loxton's UPROAR! is a delight: an energetic and highly enjoyable exploration of the careers and the turmoil of the social and political world of the leading caricaturists of the great age of satire, Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray, and Isaac Cruikshank. So rich is her research and so vivid is her prose that we emerge from reading this book feeling that we have argued, laughed and drunk punch with these men and felt the fierce brilliance of their minds and their art - which shines bright still today As vivid and vibrant as any Rowlandson print - bawdy, beautiful, and brilliant Loxton plunges us headfirst into the tumultuous world of London's eighteenth-century printmakers in this lively, riveting and pacy account A gripping, energetic and easy to follow deep dive into the raucous satire revolution of late Georgian Britain. Alice has created a diamond of a debut book Bursting with energy and written with style and sophistication, Alice Loxton provides her readers with a dazzling and tantalising glimpse into the complex and colourful world of eighteenth-century Britain. Alice is a tour de force, and her magnificent debut showcases her star quality and her talent for storytelling.