THE SMART The True Story of Margaret Caroline Rudd and the Unfortunate Perreau Brothers

SARAH BAKEWELL

ISBN 10: 070117109X / ISBN 13: 9780701171094

Published by CHATTO AND WINDUS, LONDON, 2001

About this Item

Green Boards with gilt blocked titles to spine, 240 x 160 mm approx. xiv + 322 pp + 8 glossy plates containing 17 b/w illustrations as called for. First Edition 2001. Please see our images of the actual book offered for sale for further details and condition. Near Fine/ Near Fine (Book no notable shelf wear to boards, paper of book block slightly but evenly tanned. No previous owner name or insc. Dust Jacket - Negligible shelf rubbing, non price clipped - cover £17.99. No other defects to book or jacket).

Seller Inventory # 135932

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE SMART The True Story of Margaret Caroline Rudd and the Unfortunate Perreau Brothers
• Publisher: CHATTO AND WINDUS, LONDON
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 070117109X
• ISBN 13: 9780701171094
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Reference
  • Social History
  • Autobiography /Biography

About this title

Synopsis

Britain was on the verge of war with America, yet foreign affairs were far from the thoughts of Londoners, spellbound by the proceedings of two spectacular trials, one involving a strange pair of twins, and the other an elegant young woman. Caroline Rudd had left Ireland for London where she came to enjoy a glamorous life as a high-class prostitute. Her mesmerizing charisma attracted the identical but opposite Perreau twins – one a sober merchant, the other a raffish gambler. Caroline and the twins forged bonds and lived in luxury until everything collapsed like a house of cards and charges of forgery were laid. Meticulously researched, this evocative history brilliantly bridges the gap between aristocracy and underworld, as eighteenth-century society is drawn into the most scandalous financial ‘smart’ of the age.

About the Author

Sarah Bakewell is a Curator at the Wellcome Library, London, where she stumbled across this fascinating story. This is her first book.