A Dirty, Filthy Book: Annie Besant versus the Victorians, 1877-1888

by Michael Meyer

Sex and Scandal in the Victorian 'trial of the century'

June, 1877: the petite 29-year-old Annie Besant stands motionless before the 75-year-old Judge towering over her in the Palace of Westminster. Lord Chief Justice Cockburn is presiding over the scandalous 'trial of the century' where Annie Besant and her confidante Charles Bradlaugh have been charged with the unforgiveable crime of publishing and selling a guide to birth control. Charged with obscenity, she argued -- controversially and outrageously, for the time -- that it was a woman's right to be able to choose to have children. The riveting trial over freedom of speech and the rights of women captivated the British public, caused outrage across the grey Victorian establishment and helped transform Annie Besant into one of the most famous women in the Empire.

Drawing on unpublished archives, private papers and court-room transcripts, and an incredible cast of characters including Queen Victoria, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin, and JS Mill, A Dirty, Filthy Book tells a gripping story of double standards that will horrify and delight in equal measure. At its heart is one of the most fascinating women of Victorian society, a little-known pioneer who single-handedly refused to accept the role that the establishment assigned her. Annie's trial lit the flame of social change, free speech and women's rights that is still burning around the world almost 150 years later.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Social Justice, Victorian, 19th Century, Audiobook

Paperback

Published February 8, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Meyer is an American travel writer and the author of In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China and The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed. He graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison. He first went to China in 1995 with the Peace Corps. Following Peace Corps, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied writing under Adam Hochschild and Maxine Hong Kingston.

His work has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Smithsonian, the New York Times Book Review, the Financial Times, Reader’s Digest, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Iowa Review, and on This American Life.

In China, he has represented the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, training China’s UNESCO World Heritage Site managers in preservation practices.

He lives in Singapore and Pittsburgh, where he is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching Nonfiction writing.

After a five year clearance delay, his book The Last Days of Old Beijing was published in mainland China.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A terrific account of the early life of Annie Besant, making an excellent case for why she should be remembered, celebrated, and statue-ised as a British feminist pioneer. Probably she isn't because a) she lost her marbles re Theosophy and b) she spent much of the latter part of her life in India, where she was a fighter for education and independence and Congress's first female leader, but fell out with Gandhi. She did have a real knack for supporting men who did awfully well from her support and then soared on, leaving her behind: see also Charles Bradlaugh, the first atheist MP. (This book is primarily about Besant and Bradlaugh and birth control; her adventures with Theosophy and India are briefly summarised at the end.)

Besant survived a weird religious upbringing and a vile abusive husband to fight for women's rights to control their fertility and to take pleasure in sex. As such she published a guide to bodies, sex and contraception that saw her and Bradlaugh prosecuted for obscenity in a groundbreaking trial that, among other things, Streisand-effected the book into wide public knowledge. She was an amazing public speaker and a woman of spectacular determination, and pretty much her whole life was a string of men using her, abusing her, directing her, profiting from her, doing well thanks to her, letting her down, taking away what she worked for. Very much one of those women who proves that sexuality isn't a choice, because her life would have been immeasurably improved by the absence of men from it.

An excellent and highly readable account, slightly marred by the bizarre and inconsistent use of tense and including a simple future (so instead of "He was to die three years later" it's "He will die three years later" and thus the same character is more than once referred to in the past, present and future tense *in the same paragraph*. I assume this is part of the effort at immediacy that also gives us updates on the day's crime or political news as the prosecution progresses, but that's useful context whereas the tense stuff is IMO just distracting. But that's a small quibble; this is a good book and very useful on an unjustly forgotten radical.

[Barry Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

if queen victoria has a million enemies, i'm one of them. if queen victoria has one enemy, that is me. if queen victoria has no enemies, that means i am no more on the earth. if the world loves queen victoria, then i am against the world.

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and inspiring, but so slow-paced and dense.

[Jodie-michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this book and then were aspects that I really did. Annie is a fantastic woman, and her story should be known. What she did for feminism was absolutely amazing. However, there was far too much extraneous information contained within this book that was just not necessary. I didn't want to hear so much about Charles Bradlaugh, I didn't want to hear so much about Dickens, and I didn't want to hear so much about Queen Victoria's Diaries. I wanted the details around Annie! She was the most fascinating subject, and I felt that she was pushed to the side in her own biography.

For this reason, I give 2.5 stars - it reads more like an academic essay, expetly reserched and written for this audience, sure, but therefore inaccessible to some, and I feel this story should be heard by all.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for this eARC in extrange for an honest review.

[Louise Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as advanced copy as a member of Coundon Readers Group Book Club Coventry
I’ll admit to having never heard of Annie Besant before reading this book. The author writes a very detailed account of her life as a social activist and promoter of contraception. I found the writing assimilated a Victorian style so needed a level of concentration to keep up with events. I liked the diary extracts from Queen Victoria which added some intimacy to the real life events. This is a well researched book

[Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a reading club (The Reading Agency) however I think I would have definitely bought it myself if I had seen the title and subject matter. Apart from the fact that I love anything to do with the Victorian and Edwardian era, I was intrigued to know more about a woman I had never heard of and the description of the story on the cover of the book does draw you in and make you want to know more.

The book concentrates on the scandal that was caused by Annie Besant and her friend and business partner Charles Bradlaugh’s publishing of a pamphlet named “Fruits of Philosophy” a book on sex education and birth control which was largely targeted towards women and the poorer groups in society. Despite a wide demand for the Fruits of Philosophy by the general public at the time, the publicity led to Ms Besant and Mr Bradlaugh being charged with the offence of publishing an ‘obscene book’, and a large part of the book describes in detail the trial that took place and what happened following this.

It is clear that part of her motivation in being involved in publishing this literature, stemmed from Ms Besant’s own negative experiences of sex on her wedding night, the fact that she was in no way prepared for what was to happen, the brutality of her husband, and the realisation that wives of her time were nothing more than possessions of their husbands, had no choice but to submit to their sexual demands and were not expected to enjoy the sexual act.

The book sets the scene brilliantly, referencing other historical events in the late 1800s and is interspersed with diary entries and letters from Queen Victoria who interestingly had no such negative experiences of sexual love (however was sympathetic to women’s plight of producing babies year after year).

If you are solely interested in Annie Besant, you may become distracted as the book does concentrate also on her colleague Bradhaugh and other key events of that era, and it does take some concentration to read nearer to the end, but I found it interesting and it did not (for me) detract from her story. In my opinion the author has done an excellent job in bringing her name back from being airbrushed from history to the spotlight she deserves alongside other early feminists and fighters for women’s rights.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people seem to live not just one life, but many. Annie Besant was one such woman who went from parson's wife, to public speaker and publisher, social worker and activist, to university student and Theosophist. Michael Meyer's book, subtitled 'Sex, Scandal and One Woman's Fight in the Victorian Trial of the Century' focuses particularly on the court case in which she and her colleague Charles Bradlaugh were charged with "unlawfully wickedly knowing wilfully and designedly" printing and publishing "a certain indecent lewd filthy bawdy and obscene book called Fruits of Philosophy" which would bring the subjects of Queen Victoria into "a state of wickedness lewdness debauchery and immorality", as well as offending against the peace and dignity of the Queen. (p. 140)...

When I first started reading this book, I enjoyed its breezy tone and discursive narrative but I soon tired of it. In trying to contextualize Besant and her various campaigns, he draws on newspapers to illustrate what else was occurring at the time, and in the end it became a distracting lack of attention- as if he couldn't bear to let a juicy tidbit pass, without reporting it. I enjoyed his reporting of the court case itself, but the lack of discipline elsewhere in the book detracted from his analysis of the case and its aftermath. Like the court case itself, it all felt a bit tabloid. Nonetheless, it's a really interesting story and, despite his digressions, Meyer tells it in an engaging and entertaining style. I just wish that there had been a little less 'colour' and more analysis.

You can read my complete review at:
https://residentjudge.com/2024/09/29/...

[Georgina Reads_Eats_Explores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step back in time to London, 1877. A petite young woman, Annie Bessant, stands before an all-male jury, about to risk everything. She takes a breath and opens her defence. And this is her story.

Annie Besant (1847-1933) was an early trade unionist, a preacher of “free thought”, an anti-colonist, a campaigner for women’s rights, and an early advocate for birth control. Ultimately, she was a one-woman revolution, or, as Meyer puts it, “a badass, a battering ram, a woman who inspired the next generation of social reformers”.

On April 5 1877, Besant and fellow activist Charles Bradlaugh were placed on trial (charged with obscenity) for publishing Fruits of Philosophy - a pamphlet explaining birth control was an affront to Victorian sensibility, never mind the dire realities of high infant mortality rates, abject poverty and lack of general healthcare!

It is this trial that forms the centre of Meyer’s important book. But much as Besant’s story needs to be told, I do wish Meyer had stayed more focused on Besant than he has—I want to know about the obscenity trial, not have a wide-lens overview of the 19th century and a who's who of its various inhabitants, but in fairness, that does support the main event.

And the main event, the trial, is truly marvellous stuff. Meyer’s depiction of Besant fighting for reproductive rights almost 150 years ago draws from newspaper accounts, court records, and Besant’s memoir.

A Dirty Filthy Book should be read widely; Annie’s bravery and tenacity should inspire us all, raising questions about why this exceptional woman is often overlooked in history lessons. G’wan Annie! 4⭐

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an advance proof copy in return for an, as always, honest review.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of Annie Besant through her connections to Madame Blavatsky and Theosophy but I was not aware of the incredible life she had led and the risks she had taken. A truly amazing woman who should be lauded with the Pankhurts and Fawcetts. She stood trial with Charles Bradlaugh on the crime of publishing a book on female contraception. This was 1877 and she defended herself.

Annie’s life choices seem astonishing when set against the time that she lived. She left her husband and children, she travelled the world - especially India - and she stood beside the exploited workers in Bryant and May.

The young, mostly female workers were fined 3 pence for having dirty feet and for talking. If they put a burnt match on a bench it cost them a shilling penalty - equal to 18 hours of labour. One girl was fined a shilling for jamming a cutting machine to save her hand. One of the foremen (who also included Karl Marx’s illegitimate son - there’s irony) got angry with her screaming "Never mind your fingers".

Rejected for an education in Britain, Annie started a university in India with a residential girls’ school which subsequently became Banaras Hindu University. The university granted her an honorary doctorate and she was known forever as Dr Besant. When she died in 1933 Mahatma Ghandi was among those sending condolences.

A fascinating look at a fascinating life and should be widely read.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on a subject that is just as relevant today as it was in Annie Besant's day. No less covered then as it would be today and no less opposed in either time.

While the subject is well covered this is a very academic book, heavy on sources, quotes and side points. I would have liked more of the co defendants and less of the Queen, the jury, the judge, etc. It has interesting side notes and sets the tone of the day, but I did feel some of the tangents took away from the story and the main characters.

And then after the trial I'd have rather the focus follow Annie and her life. I felt like she became a side character in a book filled with men.

Whatever else I feel about this book this is a story that deserves to be told and everyone should read. Annie Besant's story and life mission deserves to be known.

Grab this book for a bedside table read and devour a chapter a night.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book interested me enormously, I don't often read non-fiction but I'm really glad I picked this up.

'A Dirty, Filthy Book' is a description of a pamphlet published by Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh back in the mid 19th century, a pamphlet about birth control.

It's incomprehensible to us now in modern developed society to understand how holding back knowledge about the female reproductive system and how people's bodies work, could at all jeopardise morals or not benefit wellbeing. This is the time where females were subservient and without rights, and even Queen Victoria's own opinions (snippets from her journals are included) are very clearly on the side of rigid-thinking society.

Annie Besant was clearly a brave and feisty woman, putting her opinions before her own welfare, even losing custody of her children during the proceedings. As with many women in history, she's not well-known publically, but hopefully this book rights a little of that wrong.

[Dave Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great account of changing Britian in the 1870's,

Although this is the story of Annle Besant and her fight for womens rights and birth control, it runs along with a parallel of Queen Victorias storyline at the same time not in as great detail but it all and to what is a fascinating tale of the life of the 2 remarkable ladies. The times they lived in so very different to now the life of all females is hard to imagine now. They had rights but nowhere near anything acceptable. There is still a way to go but we have come a very long way since the 1870's

So why 5 stars it's the way the story is told the bravery of Annie is outstanding, its a true story so it's a tale of our history presented with passion and style that is worthy of the time yet without the stuffy suffocating others often use.

I enjoy this and can't but highly recommend it to you.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well researched biography of Annie Besant. She is a very interesting character and the book goes into a lot of detail about her life, interests, campaigns etc. There is a lot of extraneous detail, some of which I felt was unnecessary - did we really need so many mentions of Dickens's novels? And what was going on in the wider world? Also I was not expecting an unproofed copy. I highlighted over 80 incidences in the actual that should have been picked up during proofreading and copyediting. I did not read the acknowledgments or footnotes. I do hope that these errors are corrected before the final edition goes to print or ebook publication. With thanks to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for an e-arc to read and review.

[J Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of a champion of the poor from Victorian times
I hadn't heard of Annie Besant before I received this book, but thought it would be an interesting and informative read, and indeed it is.
It's a biography of a fascinating and courageous woman who campaigned,usually successfully against the terrible situations that wives and children endured in Victorian Britain. They were effectively chattels, just properties of their husbands, with no rights at all, Wives had even to hand over any income.to their spouses. The women were also overburdened with virtually perpetual pregnancies that ruined their heath and wellbeing.
Her first major campaign was to get contraception accepted, which succeeded though it happened gradually.
Other campaigned followed and throughout her life thereafter she was a major thorn in the side of the establishment, both in Britain and later in India where she was an advocate for Independence.
The research that has gone into this book is extensive, so much so that the acknowlegements, bibliography and index take up able 15% of the pages. The sources are comprehensive including the private diaries and letters of Queen Victoria and her namesake daughter, notable figures of the time including Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde and also a good deal from newspaper archives, particularly The Times. It also draws on Besant's autobiograhy.
The one drawback for me is that the writing style is very reminiscent of that of the Victorian era which I found sometimes made me lose track of where whole paragraphs were going. I accept though that this may have been a literary device that the author has used to give context to the book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why had I never heard of Annie Besant before this book? This woman should be celebrated, statues should be erected in all UK cities! What an amazing lady. Michael Meyer did a great job introducing Annie to us all and putting her back in the spotlight.

I enjoyed this book, buy it for your family and friends, we all need to know about this story.

The book is about Annie Besant, who escaped an abusive husband and went on get into trouble for selling a pamphlet that educated people on birth control – A dirty, filthy book as it was described. This book follows the trial of Annie and her partner Charles Bradlaugh and gives a good account of how Victorian courts worked. I definitely learned things from this book.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a really absorbing read, about a remarkable woman who is not as well-known as she should be. It’s a fascinating account of Annie Besant and her “partner-in-crime” Charles Bradlaugh – although the focus is mainly on Annie, as is appropriate. The book is meticulously researched, and although doesn’t shy away from serious social history, is written in an accessible and lively manner. I particularly appreciated the way Annie is placed in her social milieu and describes what is happening in the world around her and amongst the people – including Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens who touch her life. This successfully puts her actions and work in context and highlights just what an amazing woman she was. An entertaining, enjoyable and informative read.

[Effosyecats · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very interested in learning about Annie. I had not heard of her previously and feel that there are still many causes that need supporting today to make similar differences in history.

However, I felt this book bounced between several events in one sentence making it near impossible to understand everyone's part. There was too much of the surrounding stories and not enough concentration on Annie.

I found this book a struggle, which is a shame as I believe it is a very interesting story, just written in a way which is inaccessible to mainstream readers.

[Beryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to W H Allen (Publishing House) and The Reading Agency my book club was given copies of A Dirty Filthy Book

It is very different from our usual choices but we are pleased we read it - although we had heard of Annie Besant none of us knew the full story or that she defended herself in court - she was indeed a very bold, brave and determined woman who with Charles Bradlaugh published and sold a pamphlet about birth control because she believed the decision about having children was a woman's choice.

We enjoyed reading about Queen Victoria in this saga although we felt the book to be rather 'heavy going' in parts requiring concentration.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to recieve this book from Netgalley. I had heard of Annie Besant and was fascinated to find out more about a woman who was a pioneer for feminism and the right to knowledge about birth control. Annie's story was by far the most fascinating part of this book and was very inspiring. Yet other pars of the book were very dense and so much information which wasn't needed. But overall I'm glad I read this and now know so much more about this fascinating woman who seemed to live so many different lives.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important and original book covering a previously ignored and forgotten but important piece of history. The trial of Annie Besant for the impertinence of publishing a book on female contraception. A subject that was taboo in Victorian England.

Impeccably researched and well written the amazing characters at the forefront of this case are brought to life and this is a fascinating read.

[Lottie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening record of a driven woman

The fight for sex education of bodily autonomy and contraception in the Victorian era is eerily similar to the one happening today;
Meyers sharp juxtaposition portraying the case and Besant verses the newspaper excerpts of unnamed and unacknowledged women who are reported in the birth announcements really hit home how little women were even considered people amongst the Victorian society.
a must read for anyone interested in social reform history!

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annie Besant was a fascinating woman, and her legacy is an interesting subject, but for me, the book not so much. Dryly told with too much of the authors' opinions seeping in, I found this quite a slog to get through. It's not academic enough to be useful to scholars and not entertaining enough to be mainstream. However it is clearly well researched and makes some good points and comparisons to modern life.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astounding book about a woman who fought a perilous fight even when it risked the loss of her daughter. She is an inspiration for showcasing the fight for what is right even when the time is against you. In the end we have come so far with women’s rights because of the women who came before us. I liked the tid bits of history tied in as well as the queens journal entries.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because of the history of it. To read about Annie Basant and her forward thinking in 1877.The book at the beginning really read like a non-fiction book and it turned me off a little bit bit I understand why it was done (to set the story up). I really enjoyed reading about Annie and her accomplishments. I was also saddened at what it cost her through.

[Maria Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing and appealing biography of an unassuming feminist trailblazer in Victorian London. The historical detail was conscientiously researched with great attention to detail. Well written and a great education piece. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

[Deborah Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm DNFing this not at all how this book was sold as a racey real life feminist story. I'm a fair way in and I know more about her dad and her male accomplice that I do about her and the writer is really dry.

[Diana Laffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tale of two brave individuals who took on the Victorian establishment.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

I learned so much reading this book, it was a real pleasure. I was aware of some events and people referenced in this book such as the match girls strike. However much of this I hadn’t heard of and that surprises me now seeing how prolific Annie Besant’s influence was.

This book tells Annie Besant’s story alongside that of Charles Bradlaugh and a significant trial they went through after publishing a guide to birth control during Queen Victoria’s reign. Something that caused great scandal but was in demand from many people who couldn’t support more children.

Annie was an inspiring social reformer and did so much through her newspaper work and campaigning to help others who were caused much suffering through the injustices of Victorian Society and the expansion of the empire.

This was fascinating. It did dip a bit in the middle but the beginning and end were brilliant. Annie sacrificed so much in the service of social justice and others. She was an absolute warrior in defence of her fellow humans. This is non-fiction but it’s still a thrilling read full of intrigue, shocks and scandals.

Glad to have read this, thoroughly educational and enjoyable.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Dirty, Filthy Book is an engaging biography of Victorian reformer Annie Besant. It seems incredible that I hadn't heard of her before, when she played a pioneering role in advocating for women's rights.

Meyer clearly cares about his subject, and his depiction of Besant's life is meticulously researched and wonderfully contextualised in Victorian London. His coverage of the trial is particularly compelling, capturing Annie's courage and charisma through her own words.

The structure is perhaps a little uneven - while much time is spent on the trial and Besant's relationship with Bradlaugh, I would've loved a little more depth on her work in the East End and on the Bryant & May matchgirls' strike to balance it out.

Besant was clearly a fascinating and complex personality, and A Dirty, Filthy Book reasserts her rightful place in popular history.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Holly Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting and well-researched look into the life of Annie Besant. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how she introduced her feminist ideas to the Victorians, and then stood by her beliefs, even in the face of legal action.

There were some chapters which took me a while to work through, due to the amount of information contained in the book, however, I not only enjoyed learning about Annie and Charles, but also about other side characters - Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, etc.