James and John by Chris Bryant (Pre-Order)

Scheduled publication date - 13th February 2025

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week

Newgate Prison, 1835. James Pratt and John Smith. Both were convicted of homosexuality – ‘an unnatural offence’.

Both would be hanged at the gallows. And yet the 1830s was a time of great reform, when capital punishment was in decline. Of the jailed men alongside them, why were James and John alone not spared?

Labour MP and bestselling author Chris Bryant delves deep into the public archives, scouring poor law records, workhouse registers, prisoner calendars and private correspondence to recreate the lives of two men whose names are known to history – but whose story has been lost, until now.

‘An eye-opening portrait of Victorian injustice and hypocrisy' The Times

‘With its courtroom denouement and Dickensian setting, TV commissioners should take note’ New Statesman

‘Carefully observed, rich in detail, imaginative, compassionate and angry’ Rory Stewart

‘An intricately detailed portrait of Regency England, roving from Newgate and the Old Bailey to servants’ quarters’ Financial Times

Paperback / 336 pages