Books by Bob Clarke

From the broadsides of the sixteenth century to the broadsheets of the 19th century, taking in the Civil War newsbooks, the gutter press of the 18th century, the rise of the Sunday papers full of sex, sport and sensationalism, and the birth of the popular press, Bob Clarke describes the journey of the English newspaper from Grub Street to Fleet Street. It vividly portrays the way the news was reported, to provide a colourful, if often gruesome, picture of the social history of the past. Originally published in hardback at £60, the book is now revised and republished in paperback at a more accessible price. The Times Literary Supplement described it as 'A highly entertaining and informative introduction to English newspaper history.' And the Guardian said: 'This buoyant account... is larded with choice examples of 18th century journalism... there are stories of crimes and body-snatching... bilious political vituperation, macabrely precise accounts of some of the daily tragedies of life... it has a relish for its subject.'

The cheap warrens surrounding London's Grub Street were home to the newsbooks and other unlicensed publications that exploded onto the scene in the 1640s and 1650s, as fugitive printers lugged their presses from one garret to the next to stay a step ahead of the authorities.