This is a finely researched book. Lockley's work meshes well with the increasingly popular historical approach that seeks to analyse religious belief from the perspective of historical actors themselves, rather than account religious faith as merely the byproduct of economic, cultural, gender or – most important for Lockley's study – political factors. His project reassesses the religious and political legacy of Johanna Southcott's followers from 1815 to 1840 in light of hitherto unutilised sources, including John Wroe's Private communications among others presently housed by the Panacea Society of Bedford. Lockley's objective is two-fold and he favours a roughly chronological structure in his approach. The first three chapters, limited to the five years following Southcott's death, aim to illustrate the apolitical character and passive attitude towards divine agency within Southcottianism. Lockley's work with the Panacea Society archives results in notable challenges to several previously held interpretations of Southcottianism. For instance, Lockley convincingly corrects arguments that Southcottianism was especially attractive to women (see Barbara Taylor and Anne Clarke) and to the poor working classes (see E. P. Thompson). Instead, he demonstrates that quantitatively its appeal to women more accurately reflected women's involvement with British Evangelicalism in general. And with regards to a characteristic working-class association, Lockley discovered that economic status was not the deciding factor in adopting Southcottian beliefs. Though there was the phenomenon that many Southcottians originated from such a background, he reveals a significant number of wealthier members, including some from aristocratic families, who were attracted to Southcott's prophetic claims. The remaining seven chapters discuss how evolving Southcottian attitudes towards human and divine agency drew the movement into coalition with radical politics. Lockley accomplishes this task through an explication of the key figures of Southcottianism, including George Turner, John ‘Zion’ Ward, John Wroe, and the principal focus of the book – James Elishama Smith. Lockley's rendering of these individuals' encounter with radical politics is fascinating. The radical Richard Carlisle and Zion Ward formed a partnership based on mutual anti-clerical sentiments, but the partnership took an ironic turn when Carlisle also intended that Ward, who claimed to be the messiah, would further the de-Christianising platform of Carlisle's radical politics. Overall, Lockley does a splendid job. His work is a fine contribution to studies of prophetic religion and radical politics in Britain.