The Kit-Cat Club

'The decades after the Civil Wars have been rich pickings for cultural historians. These were the years of coffee houses and clubs, an atmosphere captured in Ophelia Field's wonderrful THE KIT-KAT CLUB.' Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph (Book of the Year) Christian Tyler, Financial Times (Book of the Year) 'Field is meticulous in describing the literary and other artistic achievements of the wits in the club: but the fascination of this book lies in the tale she tells of their social advancement and, to an extent, of the way the club altered manners and attitudes to class around the country.' Literary Review 'In a general book such as this, with such broad general themes, the details matter. Here Field has succeeded admirably. She has a native gift for historical retrieval so that we see the past in close-up, as it were, as well as in wide view.' The Times 'After reading this stimulating book, it is shocking to realise that the Kit-Cat Club has had to wait so long for its influence to be recognised. Field offers rich compensation, in a book that is both instructive and engrossingly readable.' Guardian (Book of the Week) 'What particularly distinguishes this book is the humane perspective in which the writer places her protagonists...As an essay in group biography her book presents an authoritative portrait of a genuinely revolutionary era.' Sunday Telegraph 'Elegantly written...this deeply researched book is a fitting memorial to a remarkable body of men who contributed so much to British politics and culture.' Sunday Times