This work is the first to study the gentlemen's clubs that were an important feature of the Late Victorian landscape, and the first to discover the secret history of clubmen and their world, placing them at centre stage, detailing how clubland dramatically shaped 19th and early 20th-century ideas about gender, power, class, and the city.

The book phenomenon of `Club Government' in the mid-nineteenth century, when many of the functions of government were alleged to have taken place behind closed doors, in the secretive clubs of London's St. James's district, has not been adequately historicized. Despite `Club Government' being referenced in most major political histories of the period, it is a topic which has never before enjoyed a full-length study. Making use of previously-sealed club archives, and adopting a broad range of analytical techniques, this work of political history, social history, sociology and quantitative approaches to history seeks to deepen our understanding of the distinctive and novel ways in which British political culture evolved in this period. The book concludes that historians have hugely underestimated the extent of club influence on `high politics' in Westminster, and though the reputation of clubs for intervening in elections was exaggerated, the culture and secrecy involved in gentleman's clubs had a huge impact on Britain and the British Empire.

Outrageous parties. Brazen drug use. Fantastical costumes. Celebrities. Wannabes. Gender-bending club kids. Pulse-pounding beats. Sinful orgies. Botched police raids. Depraved criminals. Murder. Welcome to the decadent nineties club scene. In 1995, journalist Frank Owen began researching a story on Special K, a designer drug that fueled the after-midnight club scene. He went to buy and sample the drug at the internationally notorious Limelight, a crumbling church converted into a Manhattan disco, where mesmerizing music, ecstatic dancers, and uninhibited sideshows attracted long lines of hopeful onlookers. Owen discovered a world where reckless hedonism was elevated to an art form, and where the ever-accelerating party finally spun out of control in the hands of notorious club owner Peter Gatien and his minions. In Clubland, Owen reveals how a lethal drug ring operated in a lawless, black-lit realm of fantasy, and how, when the lights came up, their excesses left countless victims in their wake. Praised for his risk-taking and exhilarating writing style, Frank Owen has spawned a hybrid of literary nonfiction and true crime, capturing the zeitgeist of a world that emerged in the spirit of “peace, love, unity and respect,” and ended in tragedy.

The core of what we call St James's dates from the late seventeenth century, when large estates were leased by the Crown to the landed gentry after the Restoration in 1660. St James's clubs, coffee houses and institutions have been shaped by enterprise, political conflict, and Britain's emerging role as an Imperial power. This is the historic heart of London's Clubland. Over 300 years, Clubland has extended its reach to encompass Piccadilly, Mayfair, Bond Street, Covent Garden and Westminster. Ever discreet, the clubs do not draw attention to themselves, though their members are often highly influential individuals who are leaders in politics, the law, the media and much more. Palaces of Power charts the evolution of London's Clubland, St James's, exploring the social and cultural history of the city's most prestigious district, and studying the tensions between the world of privilege and an emerging public realm over the last three centuries.

On its first publication in 1979, Lejeune's The Gentlemen's Clubs of London rapidly established itself as a widely sought-after and quoted work around the world among those intrigued by and participating in the rarefied world of the famous clubs of London society. This is a new, thoroughly updated edition. This book lays forth the histories of the clubs, why and how each came into being, who belongs and belonged to which, how members are chosen, and how the clubs have changed down the generations - if indeed they have. This work tells of the ambiance and grace of the clubs, their privacies and eccentricities, and of the yarns, disputes and scandals to which they have given rise. Here are new and archival photographs of the clubs' interiors, ranging from the elegant to the snug, premises which are sometimes secret and quirky and sometimes grand, each unique and fitting the character and contributing to the needs and lives of its members.

Find your corner of London with this essential travel guide to this great city, designed to help you create your own unique trip and to transport you there before you've even packed your suitcase - step back in time at the Tower of London and the British Museum, get a bird's eye view of London from the Shard, or relax in Hyde Park. The DK Eyewitness Guide to London covers the must-see sights and the hidden corners, so you won't miss a thing. - Gorgeous, all-new color photography so you can imagine yourself there - Reasons to love London: world-class museums, lively local markets, pomp and pageantry - what will yours be? - See London from a different angle - 24 pages of fresh ideas for exploring the city - A year-long calendar of events in London gives a selection of local events and festivals for all seasons - Expert advice covers the practical stuff: get ready, get around and stay safe - Over 20 detailed, color maps help you navigate the city with ease - Expert tips to make memories that last - where to snap and share the perfect photo, take in stunning views and escape the crowds - The most authentic places to stay, eat, drink and shop - Easy-to-follow walks and itineraries take you on a tour of each area, with plenty of eat and drink stops en route. - Hand-drawn illustrations show the inside of the must-see attractions, including Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament - Covers Westminster and Whitehall; Mayfair and St James's; Soho and Trafalgar Square; Covent Garden and the Strand; Holborn and the Inns of Court; Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia; King's Cross, Camden and Islington; the City; Shoreditch and Spitalfields; Southwark and Bankside; South Bank; Chelsea and Battersea; South Kensington and Knightsbridge; Kensington, Holland Park and Notting Hill; Regent's Park and Marylebone; Hampstead and Highgate; Greenwich and Canary Wharf; plus sights beyond the city. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide London is a detailed, easy-to-use guide designed to help you create your own unique trip. Staying longer? Try our DK Eyewitness guide to Great Britain.