The later eighteenth century was remarkable for radical and revolutionary fervor, fierce controversy, strident polemic, violent uprising, revolution and revolutionary war, and John Horne Tooke's life mirrored this ferment and turbulence. In the first biography in over 60 years of a strangely neglected figure, Christina and David Bewley bring him to vibrant life and center stage. Through previously untapped manuscript sources in Britain and America, and contemporary newspapers and periodicals, John Horne Tooke is established as a central figure in ministerial, extra-parliamentary and journalistic politics of his day. He was the only man in England to be imprisoned for supporting the American Revolution; his enthusiasm for the French Revolution landed him in court; he was a principal agitator for Parliamentary reform; and his support for the ""infamous John Wilkes"" in his famous victory in the Middlesex election was vital. He was a close associate of the greatest radicals of the time, including Tom Paine, Burdett and Godwin, and an unrivalled polemicist and brilliant conversationalist.

The "Gentleman's magazine" section is a digest of selections from the weekly press; the "(Trader's) monthly intelligencer" section consists of news (foreign and domestic), vital statistics, a register of the month's new publications, and a calendar of forthcoming trade fairs.