Writing on the Wall (Hardback)
Graffiti and Rebellion in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Buy from
Hear the voices of the eighteenth century: an eye-opening new history of Britain's most tumultuous period, told through its graffiti
'A wonderful, vibrant account' Susie Dent
'This is the real eighteenth century' Dan Snow
'A secret history like no other' BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2024
What if walls could talk? For historian Madeleine Pelling, they can - if you know where to look
An aristocrat carves obscenities into a tavern window with his diamond ring. A shopkeeper's daughter sketches customers with a piece of coal. A desperate highwayman, condemned to death, scratches his initials into his prison cell door.
Writing on the Wall goes in search of the hidden voices of Britain's most rebellious and transformative era - a time when anyone in possession of a sharp point and ready surface could find their voice and immortalise their message. Through the marks made by ordinary people, scratched into walls, doors, windows and more, Madeleine Pelling brings the lost stories of the past to life in all their unguarded glory.
Writing on the Wall (Ebook)
Graffiti and Rebellion in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Buy from
Hear the voices of the eighteenth century: an eye-opening new history of Britain's most tumultuous period, told through its graffiti
'A wonderful, vibrant account' Susie Dent
'A secret history like no other' BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2024
Longlisted for the 2025 Berger Prize
What if walls could talk? For historian Madeleine Pelling, they can - if you know where to look
An aristocrat carves obscenities into a tavern window with his diamond ring. A shopkeeper's daughter sketches customers with a piece of coal. A desperate highwayman, condemned to death, scratches his initials into his prison cell door.
Writing on the Wall goes in search of the hidden voices of Britain's most rebellious and transformative era - a time when anyone in possession of a sharp point and ready surface could find their voice and immortalise their message. Through the marks made by ordinary people, scratched into walls, doors, windows and more, Madeleine Pelling brings the lost stories of the past to life in all their unguarded glory.
Writing on the Wall (Paperback)
Graffiti and Rebellion in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Buy from
Hear the voices of the eighteenth century: an eye-opening new history of Britain's most tumultuous period, told through its graffiti
'A wonderful, vibrant account' Susie Dent
'A secret history like no other' BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2024
Longlisted for the 2025 Berger Prize
What if walls could talk? For historian Madeleine Pelling, they can - if you know where to look
An aristocrat carves obscenities into a tavern window with his diamond ring. A shopkeeper's daughter sketches customers with a piece of coal. A desperate highwayman, condemned to death, scratches his initials into his prison cell door.
Writing on the Wall goes in search of the hidden voices of Britain's most rebellious and transformative era - a time when anyone in possession of a sharp point and ready surface could find their voice and immortalise their message. Through the marks made by ordinary people, scratched into walls, doors, windows and more, Madeleine Pelling brings the lost stories of the past to life in all their unguarded glory.
Reviews for Writing on the Wall
Paula Byrne The Times
Susie Dent Daily Mail
Alice Loxton, 'Books of the Year' BBC History Magazine
Dan Snow
Jacqueline Riding, author Hogarth: A Life in Progress
Flora Fraser, author Pretty Young Rebel
Hannah Grieg, historian and consultant on 'Bridgerton' and 'The Favourite'
Madeleine Pelling
Madeleine Pelling is an award-winning cultural historian, author and broadcaster, and has held research fellowships at the universities of Yale, Edinburgh and Manchester. She is the co-host of History Hit's popular After Dark podcast and is a regular contributor for TV and radio, including for Channel 4, Sky Arts, Warner Bros and the BBC. Her words appear in the Guardian, Independent, BBC History Magazine and History Today, amongst others. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.