Award-winning writer Lucy Jago got the idea for her debut novel A Net for Small Fishes from a brief mention in a book from the London Library.
It took her on a journey of discovery, not just around the shocking 17th century public murder of the Overbury Scandal but the women surrounding it.
The book a decade to read and write, meaning the author knows a thing or two about the time surrounding the novel’s plot.
Here she outlines the best places to start if you’re keen to read up on some Jacobean history yourself.
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Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Elizabeth I was a tough act to follow and James I has suffered in her shadow. But the bisexual, peace-loving, witch-hating monarch is fascinating. For the language and preoccupations of the time, read Macbeth. Written to welcome the new monarch, Shakespeare fully indulges the king’s obsession with witchcraft and puts a positive spin on his ancestor, Banquo.
