Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics: A Sideways Look at Twentieth-Century London

‘Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be.’ Oscar Wilde Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics explores fascinating stories from our capital in the twentieth century, written by Robert Baker, author of the popular blog Another Nickel in the Machine. From the return of local hero Charlie Chaplin to the protests that blighted the Miss World competition in 1970, the book covers the events and personalities that reflect the glamorous, scandalous, political and subversive place London was and is today. Learn about the day the spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean left town, Benny Hill’s association with the iconic Windmill Theatre and the great Goya heist at the National Gallery, among other captivating tales. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, the stories span the twentieth century and cover the width and breadth of the capital, revealing that London is much more than the sum of its parts.