Ophelia Field’s ‘Kit-Cat Club’ is a story of a changing time in 17th-century Britain, during the reigns of Queen Anne and George I, when a group of men and their enterprising initiatives paved the way for new literary and political viewpoints, born out of the most unexpected circumstances.The Kit-Cat Club was founded in the late 1690s when Jacob Tonson, a bookseller of lowly birth, forged a partnership with the pie-maker Christopher (Kit) Cat. What began as an eccentric publishing rights deal – Tonson paying to feed hungry young writers and so receiving first option on their works – developed into a unique gathering of intellects and interests, then into the unofficial centre of Whig power during the reigns of William & Mary, Anne and George I.With consummate skill, Ophelia Field, author of the acclaimed biography of the first Duchess of Marlborough, ‘The Favourite’, portrays this formative period in British history through the club’s intimate lens. She describes the vicious Tory-Whig ‘paper wars’, the mechanics of aristocratic patronage, the London theatre world and its battles over sexual morality, England’s union with Scotland, Dublin society governed by a Kit-Cat and the hurly-burly of Westminster politics.Field expertly unravels the deceit, rivalry, friendships and fortunes lost and found through the club, along with wonderful descriptions of how its alcohol-fuelled, all-male meetings were conducted. Tracing the Kit-Cat Club’s far-reaching influence for the first time, this group biography illuminates a time when Britain was searching for its own identity.

The Kit-Cat Club: Friends Who Imagined a Nation

Field, Ophelia

History

Harper Press

Ophelia Field’s ‘Kit-Cat Club’ is a story of a changing time in 17th-century Britain, during the reigns of Queen Anne and George I, when a group of men and their enterprising initiatives paved the way for new literary and political viewpoints, born out of the most unexpected circumstances.
The Kit-Cat Club was founded in the late 1690s when Jacob Tonson, a bookseller of lowly birth, forged a partnership with the pie-maker Christopher (Kit) Cat. What began as an eccentric publishing rights deal – Tonson paying to feed hungry young writers and so receiving first option on their works – developed into a unique gathering of intellects and interests, then into the unofficial centre of Whig power during the reigns of William &amp; Mary, Anne and George I.
With consummate skill, Ophelia Field, author of the acclaimed biography of the first Duchess of Marlborough, ‘The Favourite’, portrays this formative period in British history through the club’s intimate lens. She describes the vicious Tory-Whig ‘paper wars’, the mechanics of aristocratic patronage, the London theatre world and its battles over sexual morality, England’s union with Scotland, Dublin society governed by a Kit-Cat and the hurly-burly of Westminster politics.
Field expertly unravels the deceit, rivalry, friendships and fortunes lost and found through the club, along with wonderful descriptions of how its alcohol-fuelled, all-male meetings were conducted. Tracing the Kit-Cat Club’s far-reaching influence for the first time, this group biography illuminates a time when Britain was searching for its own identity.

The Kit-Cat Club

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Harper-perennial

A brilliant new biographer presents an unforgettable portrait of Sarah Churchill, first Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), the glamorous and controversial founder of the Spencer-Churchill dynasty that produced both Winston Churchill and Lady Diana Spencer. Tied to Queen Anne by an intimate friendship, Sarah hoped to wield power equal to that of a government minister. When their relationship soured, she blackmailed Anne with letters revealing their intimacy, and accused her of perverting the course of national affairs by keeping lesbian favourites. Her spectacular arguments with the Queen, with the architects and workmen at Blenheim Palace, and with her own family made Sarah famous for her temper. Attacked for traits that might have been applauded in a man, Sarah was also capable of inspiring intense love and loyalty, deeply committed to her principles and to living what she believed to be a virtuous life. Sarah was a compulsive and compelling writer, narrating the major events of her day, with herself often at center stage. This biography brings her own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life, and casts a critical eye over images of the Duchess handed down through art, history, and literature. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her.

Sarah Churchill: Duchess of Marlborough: The Queen's Favourite

Community & Culture

St.Martin's Press

The scandalous true story of the duchess who became her beloved queen's blackmailer, published in a new and updated edition to coincide with the Oscar nominated film starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was as glamorous as she was controversial. Politically influential and independently powerful, she was an intimate, and then a blackmailer, of Queen Anne, accusing her of keeping lesbian favourites - including Sarah's own cousin Abigail Masham. Ophelia Field's masterly biography brings Sarah Churchill's own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her. 'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. A tour de force' Lucy Worsley

The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill and the History Behind the Major Motion Picture

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Field, Ophelia. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Field, Ophelia

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Field, Ophelia. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Kit-Cat Club: Friends Who Imagined a Nation

The Kit-Cat Club

Sarah Churchill: Duchess of Marlborough: The Queen's Favourite

The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill and the History Behind the Major Motion Picture