'[Holden is] courageous in his assessment of the strengthsand weaknesses of Hunt as a poet . he also gives us somefascinating new material' Michael Glover, FT MAGAZINE'Anthony Holden's THE WIT IN THE DUNGEON is a more concisesingle-volume account of Hunt's eventful political life . itis Holden, surveying the whole life, who tells the best stories .Holden's biography is concise and unfailingly readable'Andrew Biswell, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY'Roe leaves Hunt on the beach at Viaregio, watching the flamesplay over the body of his heart's darling, Shelley. If you wantto know what Hunt did next, then you must turn to Holden . vividand dramatic' Suzi Feay, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY'Mr Holden's pages on Thomas Carlyle's admiration,friendship and eventual exasperation [with Hunt] are especiallytelling, as is his dissection of Dickens, who clouded Hunt'slast years with a cruel caricature of him as Harold Skimpole in BLEAKHOUSE' ECONOMIST'Holden delivers a racy, engaging narrative, doffing his cap toliterary critics . Holden's strength is that he attends toHunt's "afterlife" - his Victorian period, which Roedoes not cover. This is in some ways the best part of THE WIT IN THEDUNGEON, as when he deals with Dickens's involvement and rightlyexposes Dickens's slippery denials over the Skimpoleaffair' Duncan Wu, INDEPENDENT'Anthony Holden's THE WIT IN THE DUNGEON covers the wholeof Hunt's life with commendable verve .

Hunt is a fellow tobe respected both for what he was and for what his more giftedcontemporaries saw in him' Robert Nye, SCOTSMAN'Anthony Holden has written a biography for the general reader . he is a shrewd and skilful writer, and makes good use of sources.His account of the Examiner trial is a particularly successful setpiece, and he has an excellent chapter on relations between Hunt andDickens, the old lion and the young cub' LITERARY REVIEW'Holden hints at the real reason for Hunt'smarginalisation in his readable biography - Shelley was heir to abaronetcy, Byron was a lord but Hunt did not even belong to thewealthy merchant class . As it is, only in the last few years haveacademics been paying serious attention to this remarkable figure.Perhaps, at last, his time has come' Lesley McDowell, SUNDAYHERALD'Using the abundant written sources of the epoch, he hasproduced a long, well-researched life of Hunt from his fame as aschoolboy poet in 1800 to his death in 1859' SPECTATOR'Pick up THE WIT IN THE DUNGEON. Holden makes sure you know whoeveryone is at the time he introduces them, and tactfully reminds youwhen you have forgotten. He has a punchy style and a feeling foranecdote - entertaining you with details . He keeps a complicatedstory moving, like a good host at a good party, and the story has anupbeat ending.

You become acquainted with an energetic, sociable,misunderstood, path-breaking journalist whose time has come at longlast' IRISH TIMES.