''The First Bohemians: Life and Art in London's Golden Age'' is a 2013 book by the British writer and academic

Vic Gatrell Vic Gatrell (or V.A.C. Gatrell) is a British historian. He is a Life Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Life Born to working-class immigrant Londoners in South Africa, Gatrell went to state schools in Pietermaritzburg and Port Eliz ...

Synopsis

The book details the colourful history of the London district of

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

which Gatrell describes as "teeming, disordered and sexually charged" and argues was the world's first "creative Bohemia". During the 18th century many of the UK's most significant artists, actors, poets, novelists, and dramatists lived in the district. The book features more than 200 pictures, many of which have been rarely seen.

Reception

In '' Times Higher Education Supplement'', Clare Brant praised the "evocation of non-conformists in the capital’s cultural ‘heart’", which she described as "compelling". In '' The Guardian'' Faramerz Dabhoiwala wrote that "Gatrell's book does it (the history of Covent Garden) justice in all the right ways. It is beautifully produced – from the sumptuous, almost three-dimensional dust jacket to the more than 200 illustrations sprinkled liberally throughout the text" and that the "book is mainly a celebration: a relaxed, confident and triumphantly successful re-creation of a fascinating world of male companionship, drunkenness, poverty, sex and art". In the '' New Statesman'' Frances Wilson wrote that the author is "terrific company" and "The First Bohemians is generously, often ingeniously, illustrated". The book was also reviewed in '' The Economist'', in which the reviewer wrote that the "richness of detail makes ''The First Bohemians'' a pleasure to read". ''The First Bohemians'' was shortlisted for the Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First Bohemians 2013 non-fiction books Books about artists Books about London Covent Garden English-language books English non-fiction books History books about London Allen Lane (imprint) books