John Wilkes

John Wilkes (1726-97) is remembered as the father of the British free press, defender of civil and political liberties. This biography draws a portrait of John Wilkes from his childhood days through his heyday as a journalist and agitator and his defiance of government prosecutions for libel and obscenity. A highly entertaining biography of the incredible John Wilkes, champion of liberty and irrepressible libertine. "It is difficult to believe that John Wilkes, a notorious womanizer and scandal-monger, was a genuine hero of civil liberties and political democracy on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 18th century, but hero he was and in this engaging book Arthur Cash gives Wilkes the serious treatment he has long deserved."—Eric Foner, Columbia University “[A] superb biography. . . . After finishing the last page I turned back to the beginning in order to enjoy it all over again.”—Tom Hodgkinson, Independent on Sunday “Informative and enjoyable. . . . So well researched, so full of fascinating detail, . . . so delightfully buoyant.” - John Barrell, London Review of Books