A Scandal in Königsberg

“Clark is an elegant and evocative writer, and A Scandal in Königsberg offers a brisk account of a 19th-century sex panic that captivated the public and ruined lives . . . Clark tells his story with verve.” —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times Book Review

“Brilliant.” —Harper’s

“A moral panic over a lurid sex scandal becomes culture war fodder for a polarized nation in this nuanced unearthing of a little-remembered episode in 1830s Prussia. . . . Clark astutely notes that, much like with today’s moral panics, concern about gender conformity seemed to be the panic’s prime motivator. . . . This meticulously researched history astonishes in its timeliness.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Clark provides a detailed and immersive view of these events . . . that feel more modern than their chronology would suggest. . . . [A Scandal in Königsberg] maintains a well-paced narrative that makes it accessible to a broader audience. Ebel and other historical figures in the book are intriguing and multifaceted, enlivening an obscure story long overlooked by historians.” —Library Journal

“[Clark’s] studied focus on the specificity of the scandal in Königsberg allows each reader to consider how cults of personality, sensational accusations, performative outrage, and unyielding beliefs might undermine or endanger not only individual livelihoods, but also the deeply human pursuits of spiritual fulfillment, community, and power. An unexpectedly prescient cautionary tale.” —Kirkus

“At first glance the story of an obscure sex scandal among an evangelical sect in 19th-century Prussia might seem a bit slight. But Christopher Clark, one of our greatest historians, uses it as the hook for a haunting reflection on the power of gossip, fake news and social conformity. Sketching the world of Königsberg with tremendous empathy, he gives us an unforgettable range of characters, from the androgynous preacher Johann Ebel to the splendidly named Count Finck von Finckenstein.” —Dominic Sandbrook, The Times (London), Best Books of 2025

“A lucky archival find led Christopher Clark to a bizarre tale of nineteenth-century religious zeal and sexual paranoia in a German city now long vanished from the map. His elegant and perceptive reconstruction of provincial turmoil opens up fascinating wider perspectives on German society and religion as it moved toward unification in the Second Reich.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford

“In this lively and deeply researched book, the eminent historian Christopher Clark uncovers a scandal charged with illicit sex, sensational trials, and fervent religious zeal. More than the tale of a wayward cult, A Scandal in Königsberg offers a brilliant miniature history of nineteenth-century Prussia—its politics, class tensions, and cultural life brought vividly to the page.” —David S. Reynolds, author of Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times and Walt Whitman’s America

“Clark writes with his characteristic clarity and wit. This carefully researched microhistory clearly echoes our own time.” —Anna von der Goltz, Financial Times

“A splendid exercise in historical recuperation. [A Scandal in Königsberg] illustrates the confusions, uncertainties, and prejudices of a period when the horrors of revolution and warfare were still vivid in the European memory, and men and women were desperately searching for ordinary, lowercase enlightenment and spiritual guidance.” —John Banville, Literary Review (London)

“Fans of tales of clerical skulduggery, of German history in general, and culture wars. . . plus anyone interested in how intolerance ruins lives, will enjoy Clark’s latest, not least because it is ‘short and lively.’” —Jonathan Boff, The Spectator

“This small book is many things, but for me what shines brightest is a tale of two renegade preachers who understood women and love.” —Gerard de Groot, The Times

“The rise of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ in our own time. . . lend the story revealed by the files in the Geheimes Staatsarchiv an unexpected contemporary relevance. . . . Clark tells this engrossing story with all his usual narrative verve and stylistic brilliance.” —Richard J. Evans, The Times Literary Supplement