Stories written by

Maddy Smith

What did lift-the-flap books look like in the 18th century?

‘Mother Shipton’, an exceptionally rare children’s book, has been acquired by the British Library.

Maddy Smith
· Oct 26, 2022 · 09:30 pm
In 18th-century London, a ‘monster’ was stalking the streets and stabbing women

The mysterious culprit picked women at random and stabbed them in the thigh or buttocks with a plethora of sharp objects, from knives to pins.

Maddy Smith
· Jul 19, 2022 · 01:30 pm
The diary of a Dutch East India Company soldier who was marooned on a desert island

Leendert Hasenbosch was abandoned on Ascension Island in 1725 as punishment for sodomy.

Maddy Smith
· Feb 22, 2022 · 07:30 pm

Glimpses of 'Aristotle’s Masterpiece': A 17th-century guide on what to expect when you're expecting

The book, neither by Aristotle nor a masterpiece, offers peculiar and eccentric advise on sex, pregnancy and childbirth

Maddy Smith
· Mar 24, 2017 · 07:30 pm