Wicked Company Freethinkers and Friendship in Pre-Revolutionary Paris

Mr Blom's book is part biography and part polemic. He sketches the early lives of Diderot, Holbach, Rousseau and other players in the drama, and describes the philosophy they hammered out. It is also an iconoclastic rebuttal of what he describes as the "official" history of the Enlightenment. THE ECONOMIST Blom's passionate enthusiasm for ideas and his immersive knowledge has created a crash course in the great debates of a distant era but he leaves us in no doubt that the arguments of the 18th century have yet to be resolved -- Ben Felsenburg METRO 'Blom is such a stylish and clever writer: his prose is as lucid and elegant as any of his 18th-century heroes...Blom's book is not only a pleasure to read but also a celebration of the real and material joys to be found in the godless universe" -- Andrew Hussey FINANCIAL TIMES Blom skilfully weaves his story around a large cast of characters...(and) teases out the nuances of the group's ideas with considerable finesse. -- Suzi Feay INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY (An) engaging portrait -- David Auberach TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT A remarkable group of men populate the pages of Philipp Blom's quirky and original book. -- Jonathan Sumption THE SPECTATOR Blom succeeds in conveying a lot of detailed information about the philosophes' friendships and amorous adventures to the general reader in engaging and readily accessible prose. -- Ruth Scurr LITERARY REVIEW