Harris's List of Covent-Garden Ladies (1760-1794): New Copies and New Evidence regarding its History

HARRIS’S LIST OF COVENT-GARDEN LADIES (1760–1794), a descriptive catalogue of the women working in London’s sex trade, was a succès de scandale of surprising proportions. It was not only widely read but also remarkably durable: with only one three-year hiatus, the List appeared annually from its inauguration in 1760 until 1794, when prosecution for obscenity brought it to a close.1Harris’s List has long been an important document in the history of sexuality and social histories of prostitution. It is described at length in popular histories by E. J. Burford and, more recently, Hallie Rubenhold, and has featured in the recent television drama, Harlots (ITV, 2017–19).2 Janet Ing Freeman’s important study of the publishing history of Harris’s List made a significant step in untangling the complicated history of this serial publication, clearing up some misconceptions about the real-life figures responsible for the list and providing an indispensable census of surviving copies.3 Since the publication of Freeman’s foundational research, six additional copies of Harris’s List have come to light: three recently acquired by public libraries from private collections and three newly visible as increasing numbers of library holdings worldwide are added to public catalogues. Additionally, the 1793 edition of a rival catalogue, with the title Harris’s List but issued by a different publisher, has very recently been acquired by the British Library.