It means, as others have commented, that it is pretty much a male history - the women who occupied London's streets at night not generally producing much poetry and prose. Obviously aimed at the intellectual and students of early English literature, the writing is ponderous and would not hold the attention of persons with a casual interest in the history of London.

When one thinks of the London night in the present age, iconic images of Westminster, Piccadilly and the Thames Skyline are usually the first to emerge. That's been my problem with Lewis-Stempel's work ever since The Running Hare (2016): he publishes too much, too often, whereas his books would be so much better if he saved up his material and selected the best of the best.As the human world settles down each evening, nocturnal animals prepare to take back the countryside. Es gibt immer mehr Licht, die die Nacht zwar nicht zum Tag macht, aber trotzdem wird es zum Beispiel immer schwieriger, nachts die Sterne zu sehen.

The largest change had come slightly earlier, with the introduction of street lighting during (appropriately) the Enlightenment. However, if you are inclined to give it a try, it more than pays off your time and effort as it is an intriguing study.Penny Montague completed an MA in Literary Linguistics (with distinction) at the University of Nottingham in 2015 and graduated from The Open University with a first-class BA Honours in English Language and Literature.