Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-299) and index.

"London, the 1790s. Europe is in turmoil, and mysterious forces seem to be edging England into a disastrous war with France. Not quite at the center of the political maelstrom is James Tilly Matthews, a Welsh tea merchant and antiwar activist who holds covert meetings with the leaders of both countries. But Matthews also believes his mind is being controlled by a gang of revolutionary terrorists and their diabolical secret machine: the Air Loom." "The only person aware of the Air Loom's existence, Matthews is promptly declared mad and exiled to Bedlam, the world's most notorious madhouse, where he is held against his will for the rest of his life. At Bedlam his "delusions" are celebrated as the most complex and bizarre ever recorded. He remains one of the most famous cases in psychiatric history - the first man to believe his mind was being controlled by a machine. The truth of his case, however, was even stranger than his doctors realized: many of the incredible political episodes in which he claimed to have been involved were entirely real."--Jacket.