Eccentrics

This is a celebration of that social outsider uniquely celebrated in British history, the eccentric - a portrait gallery of a dozen individuals in recent history who eschewed the prevailing conventions of their times and lived life in a highly idiosyncratic fashion, with far-reaching consequences. Inadvertently bringing down British governments, accidentally being offered foreign crowns, pioneering wildlife conservation, thwarting urban progress, building lavish pleasure domes - and watching them crash to the ground, these "eccentrics" lived colourful lives to the full, travelling widely and influencing many, often in spite of severe physical impediments. Their obsessive behaviour and refusal to conform also left a legacy of good works in its wake - many of these men and women were wildly generous social benefactors and extravagant patrons of the arts. William Blake and Lewis Carroll are among the cast of characters, but many others will be unknown to the reader until now. John Jolliffe reminds us of the flamboyance and eccentricity that have always played a vital role in shaping our history.