Joanne Major

She tumbled from her horse and the press loved the idea of a fallen woman, falling. Overnight, Kitty became a sensation.

In a ditch, between St Albans and Colney Heath in Hertfordshire, lay a poor starving girl, half-naked. Two bakers travelling along the road discovered and rescued her. They took her to an alehouse near the turnpike where the local surgeon and apothecary, Mr Humphries, was sent for. Under his care, the girl recovered.

This is a fascinating story that proves fact is stranger than fiction. Grab a drink, sit back and enjoy!

I do hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed researching and writing Kitty’s life story. It's a treat for the eyes too as most of the images within it have been reproduced in colour, including some of the wonderful portraits of Kitty.

Recently, I was asked to share a list of five books that I'd recommend to other readers. Shepherd Books is a new online site that allows readers to discover new books through curated lists, compiled by authors.

Kim Kardashian might have broken the internet but Kitty Fisher did the Georgian era’s equivalent. Kitty was a ‘celebrated’ courtesan, a style icon and the eighteenth century's version of today’s ‘it-girl.’