Mickey Mayhew | Autistic Author & Historian
Mickey Mayhew is an author, historian and researcher specialising in Tudor, Stuart and Romanov history, biography and historical true crime. His published works include The Anne Boleyn Bible, Romanovs Under House Arrest, Rasputin and his Russian Queen, Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots, House of Tudor: A Grisly History and The Little Book of Mary Queen of Scots. His doctoral research examined the online followings surrounding Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots.
Previously to this, he co-authored three books relating to Jack the Ripper for the Whitechapel Society (again, The History Press), whilst fictional work included the urban fantasy trilogy ‘The Barrow Boys of Barking’, beginning with ‘Jack and the Lad’ and concluding with ‘Jamie’s Big Bang’. His tongue-in-cheek memoir ‘Mickeypedia’ is still available, with proceeds going to the Anna Kennedy Online autism charity. In August 2025, the first volume of the ‘Dear Boss’ trilogy was published, a fictional take on the aforementioned Jack the Ripper murders, but with a decidedly modern twist. Also released in 2025 was ‘The Romanovs Under House Arrest: The Russian Revolution and A Royal Family’s Imprisonment in their Palace’, again from Pen & Sword Books.
Mickey continues to work as an independent author and researcher. His current projects include a major biography of American serial killer Ed Gein, developed through extensive archival research and consultation with academics and filmmakers, alongside research into the six wives of Henry VIII.
Education
Mickey’s route through education was far from conventional. Permanently excluded from school at around the age of twelve, he spent the following years with a home tutor and attending several specialist schools. He later returned to education, completing an undergraduate degree in sociology, an MA in gender, sexuality and culture, an MA in creative writing, an MSc in sociology, and a PhD examining online Tudor subcultures.
From May to December 2019, he held the post of research assistant at London South Bank University, working as part of a project team undertaking research into adults living with autism and the support – or lack thereof – that they receive. Currently, he is on the steering group of this committee.
Prior to this, Mickey worked as a research assistant at the same university (from May to August 2018). His responsibilities were researching and compiling an annotated biography of Dr Shaminder Takhar, with a view to producing a text around the current transgender and radical feminist debate.
Mickey Mayhew’s full academic and professional background is also available on LinkedIn.
Interests
When not writing, Mickey enjoys a diverse range of hobbies and interests, including traveling, true crime, Russian royal history (the Romanovs, really) and animal welfare. He likes to read, particularly the books of Alan Hollinghurst, Sarah Waters and Anne Rice, as well as Marvel and DC Comics, and loves watching the old 1930s – 50s Universal horrors. Mickey is on the committee of the Whitechapel Society 1888 and the Mary Queen of Scots Society, as well as various university alumni groups.
Mickey is currently working on several writing and research projects, including his forthcoming work on Ed Gein. His research interests continue to span historical true crime, Tudor history and the Romanovs.
