Beau Brummell

Beau Brummell's life is a riveting story of unparalleled fame, fashion and admiration followed by a descent into poverty and madness.

The man who put Saville Row on the map, who could win friends, political arguments or the favours of women with apparent effortlessness, and who was responsible for some of the wittiest put-downs in history, Brummell created the myth of the British gent typified by wit, style, sex, and the finest tailoring in the world. In this biography Ian Kelly brings the clothes, fashions and people of Regency England vividly to life.

Brummell's life is a mirror to his own age and also to our own. Part Andy Warhol, part David Beckham, part Oscar Wilde - Brummell became famous by virtue of his image at a time when the modern concept of 'celebrity' was first termed. This is the man with cause to be considered the father of the cult of personality - to be considered, indeed, as the first true 'celebrity'.

Short-listed for Marsh Biography Award 2007

“Superlative . . . a thoughtful, absorbing and hugely diverting book. Besides an astute biography, we get a panorama of the times. Lushly illustrated, carefully researched and intelligently argued, this biography will entertain and enlighten. - George Walden, Daily Mail A magnificent, fantastic read: all the wonders of that incomparable age touched on with mastery. - Stephen FryFinely written and beautifully illustrated. - Frances Wilson, Literary Review Lush, funny, exhaustively researched and beautifully written. Profound . . . The reader will want neither the book, nor the intriguing life it recreates, to come to an end. - Herald Splendid . . . What makes this book much more than just a relaxed, racy biography is the way its author brings to life not just the man but also the time in which he lived. - The Sunday Times Hugely readable - James Dellingpole, The Times Ian Kelly captures the sadness and frustration that lay behind the glamour; his book is elegant and scrupulously researched, with an admirable feeling for the age . . . sensitively narrated. - Spectator A wonderful melange of social history and biography. Vibrant, witty and fact-packed . . . something of a tour-de-force. - Claire Harman, Sunday Telegraph”

Superlative . . . a thoughtful, absorbing and hugely diverting book. Besides an astute biography, we get a panorama of the times. Lushly illustrated, carefully researched and intelligently argued, this biography will entertain and enlighten. - George Walden, Daily Mail

A magnificent, fantastic read: all the wonders of that incomparable age touched on with mastery. - Stephen Fry

Finely written and beautifully illustrated. - Frances Wilson, Literary Review

Lush, funny, exhaustively researched and beautifully written. Profound . . . The reader will want neither the book, nor the intriguing life it recreates, to come to an end. - Herald

Splendid . . . What makes this book much more than just a relaxed, racy biography is the way its author brings to life not just the man but also the time in which he lived. - The Sunday Times

Hugely readable - James Dellingpole, The Times

Ian Kelly captures the sadness and frustration that lay behind the glamour; his book is elegant and scrupulously researched, with an admirable feeling for the age . . . sensitively narrated. - Spectator

A wonderful melange of social history and biography. Vibrant, witty and fact-packed . . . something of a tour-de-force. - Claire Harman, Sunday Telegraph

Ian Kelly is an actor, screenwriter and journalist, writing for The Times, Telegraph, Observer and TLS. His film credits include Howard's End, Attenborough's In Love and War and Dennis Potter's Cold Lazarus.

Beau Brummell's life is a riveting story of unparalleled fame, fashion and admiration followed by a descent into poverty and madness. The man who put Saville Row on the map, who could win friends, political arguments or the favours of women with apparent effortlessness, and who was responsible for some of the wittiest put-downs in history, Brummell created the myth of the British gent typified by wit, style, sex, and the finest tailoring in the world. In this biography Ian Kelly brings the clothes, fashions and people of Regency England vividly to life.Brummell's life is a mirror to his own age and also to our own. Part Andy Warhol, part David Beckham, part Oscar Wilde - Brummell became famous by virtue of his image at a time when the modern concept of 'celebrity' was first termed. This is the man with cause to be considered the father of the cult of personality - to be considered, indeed, as the first true 'celebrity'.

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