Decadent London by Antony Clayton

Published December 2019

Revised edition in a quality paperback with a foreword by Max Decharne

As the dawn of the twentieth century loomed, London was undergoing tremendous changes, establishing itself as the heart of one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. However, in the same decade that witnessed the celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee a diverse group of writers, artist and poets sought to subvert the oppressive cultural and moral atmosphere of the period. This was the city explored by Oscar Wilde, Arthur Symons, Aubrey Beardsley, Frank Harris and Ernest Dowson, together with their less well-known compatriots Lionel Johnson, John Gray, John Davidson and the mysterious Count Stenbock.

Using a thematic approach, Decadent London recreates the artistic milieu of this turbulent time, describes the most popular decadent destinations and provides concise biographical material on the central characters, many of whom became victims of their excessively louche lifestyles. Visit the raucous decadent pubs such as the Crown and the Cock, listen in at the Cheshire Cheese, where W. B. Yeats read his poems to the Rhymers’ Club, enjoy the wit of Wilde and Whistler at the Café Royal and explore the idyllic artistic retreat of Bedford Park in the suburbs.

The book also describes the work produced by London’s decadent writers and artists, particularly their contribution to the decade’s most innovative periodicals The Yellow Book and The Savoy. It outlines the development of the burgeoning music hall scene beloved of many decadents, probes into the underworld of drug taking, pornography and prostitution and uncovers the occult pursuits of the Golden Dawn and the Great Beast Aleister Crowley.

This informative glimpse into one of the most fascinating periods in the capital’s cultural history has been fully revised and supplemented with new material.

Antony Clayton is the author of Subterranean City: Beneath the Streets of London (Historical Publications, 2000 & 2010), London’s Coffee Houses, a Stimulating Story (Historical Publications, 2003), The Folklore of London (Historical Publications, 2008) and Secret Tunnels of England Folklore & Fact (Accumulator Press, 2015). He also co-edited (with Phil Baker) and contributed to Lord of Strange Deaths: the Fiendish World of Sax Rohmer (Strange Attractor, 2015) and wrote Netherwood: Last Resort of Aleister Crowley (Accumulator Press, 2012 & 2017), which also featured contributions from David Tibet, Gary Lachman and Andy Sharp.

Max Decharne is a writer and musician. He is the author of nine books Including Vulgar Tongues, Capital Crimes, King's Road and Straight From the Fridge, Dad. In his musical career, Max has released eleven albums and numerous singles and toured the world. He has lived most of his life in England.

Still available September 2021.