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Society & Culture

Jessica Mitford’s Handbag

The LRB Podcast by London Review of Books

Feb 4, 202650:44Society & Culture

When Jessica Mitford (aka Decca) was eleven, in 1928, she opened a Running Away Account at Drummonds Bank. A few years later she ran away to Spain to help in the fight against Franco, and not long after that moved to the...

About This Episode

Jessica Mitford’s Handbag is an episode from The LRB Podcast by London Review of Books. When Jessica Mitford (aka Decca) was eleven, in 1928, she opened a Running Away Account at Drummonds Bank. A few years later she ran away to Spain to he...

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Episode Details

Published Feb 4, 2026, 50:44 long, audio available.

Questions About This Episode

What is Jessica Mitford’s Handbag about?

When Jessica Mitford (aka Decca) was eleven, in 1928, she opened a Running Away Account at Drummonds Bank. A few years later she ran away to Spain to help in the fight against Franco, and not long after that moved to the US where she became a naturalised citizen and joined the Communist Party. The Mitford sisters wrote many books and even more have been written about them, but Carla Kaplan's scholarly new biography of Jessica is a welcome addition to the ‘Mitford industry’, according to Rosemary Hill, because she approaches her subject as an ‘American communist with an unusual background in the English aristocracy’. In this episode, Rosemary joins Thomas Jones to talk about Decca’s eventful life, her work as a civil rights activist and writer, and her complicated relationships with the other Mitfords. When asked whether the bond with her sisters had ‘stood between her and life’s cruel circumstances’, Decca replied: ‘Sisters were life’s cruel circumstances.’ Find further reading on the episode page: Listen and

Where can I listen to Jessica Mitford’s Handbag?

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Which podcast is Jessica Mitford’s Handbag from?

Jessica Mitford’s Handbag is an episode from The LRB Podcast by London Review of Books.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 50:44 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Feb 4, 2026.

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