Confined in Bedlam in 1796 as an incurable lunatic, James Tilly Matthews’ case is one of the most bizarre in the annals of psychiatry. But it was even stranger than his doctors realised: many of the incredible conspiracies in which he claimed to have been involved were entirely real.

“I have never seen the logic of madness, of a particular delusion, so clearly and convincingly expressed. The Air Loom Gang is a wonderful book to read…beautifully written, with all the drama, the rich characterisation, the subtlely, of a fine novel.” Oliver Sacks

“A magnificent study…beautifully balanced and fiercely energetic, The Air Loom Gang is an important contribution to the historical debate and a paean to the logic of lunacy.” Spectator

“Marvellous…free of academic jargon, delicately nuanced but taut with drama, The Air Loom Gang is one of the most rewarding books on madness and its history that I have ever read.” Literary Review

“An exhilarating cloak-and-dagger narrative…Jay brilliantly evokes the torrid atmosphere of 1790s London and Paris.” Guardian

“Gripping as well as profound…Jay’s narrative is structured for maximum effect, and themes woven in strand by strand until they run into a multi-coloured fabric.” Independent

“A riveting and affecting tale…Jay sets Matthews’ extraordinary life vividly in its dangerous times.” New Scientist

“Brilliant…a salutary lesson for those who would give a voice to the mad, whether mesmerists, psychiatrists or historians.”
Medical History

“An ambitious, comprehensive and extremely interesting interpretation of Matthews and his delusion, and of schizophrenia in general…its analysis of mental illness, mad-doctoring and the inner world of the patient is original and intellectually thrilling.” History of Psychiatry

Winner of the Ken Book Award 2005
Awarded by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, USA

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More on James Tilly Matthews and the Air Loom.
More on the subsequent history of the influencing machine at The Art of Mind Control