'At the opening of this fascinating study, Ian Newman assures us, with nimble irony, that 'I have had more fun researching and writing this book than accords with the usual image of academic pointy-headed severity'. Yet for all its self-deprecation, this is a learned account that sets about tracing such intricacies as 18th-century state surveillance, the tensions between feminised 'fashionable sociability' and 'the masculine commercialized politics of clubs and coffeehouses', and 'the pleasure of politics and the politics of pleasure, and how they gave shape to ideas about literature'.' Peter J. Smith, The Times Higher Education

'… The Romantic Tavern is an important book that examines neglected literary traditions to shed light on canonical writings. It will stimulate literary critics and Romantic era specialists in general; the 'convivial public sphere' is a promising critical category.' Rémy Duthille, The Review of English Studies

'Newman's book does our field a great service by excavating the worlds of the Romantic tavern, reminding us that the image of the solitary Romantic was at its initial formation predicated on the communal and convivial, even if only its residue remains.' Steve Newman, The Wordsworth Circle