- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (22 Aug 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1840185759
- ISBN-13: 978-1840185751
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 826,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Body-snatching, corruption and murder in Enlightenment Edinburgh
Product Description
'My Lord, You are aware that, at this moment, the public feeling is strongly excited against the perpetrators of the late foul and cold blooded murders that have taken place in the very centre of a populous and civilised city . . . Your Lordship is aware, that in all civilized nations, blood calls for blood . . .'
From ' Letter to the Lord Advocate . . . By The Echo of Surgeons' Square'
Early nineteenth century Edinburgh was gripped by fear of body snatchers. New graves were constantly under threat from unscrupulous ghouls keen to profit from the medical school's voracious appetite for corpses. In 1828, Burke and Hare, a pair of opportunistic low-lives, took the practice to a new extreme. They murdered at least 16 innocent victims, including a 12-year-old boy, in the name of medical science - and the freshness of the corpses they delivered for dissection earned them extra money.
The names of Burke and Hare have become synonymous with body-snatching, but the true details of their crimes have been obscured by mythology and questions still surround the case. In Enlightenment Edinburgh, how were Burke and Hare able to carry on their repulsive and murderous trade undetected for so long? Why was only one of the homicidal due brought to justice? And what were the roles of Burke and Hare's common-law wives, the medical students who took delivery of the corpses and Dr Robert Knox, the distinguished teacher of anatomy whose dissecting table was the final resting place of the unfortunate victims?
Bailey reveals a sordid side to a society which was famed for its intellectual and progressive thinking, yet depended on predatory criminals for the advance of medical knowledge. In this compulsive and absorbing book, the evidence is thoroughly re-examined - and startling conclusions are reached.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
May I congratulate Mr Bailey on a superb examination of two fascinating characters and all of their macabre associations. The book is well written and lays out the facts in a very ordered fashion which allows you to get the quagmire of facts surrounding this case straight in your mind. A little eager in places to impress his findings upon you, contesting past sources, you sense the enthusiasm of someone who really feels they've taken history another step. He also raises some very astute (though in hindsight blindingly obvious) questions, for example - how could their first victim have possibly owed £4? However, these examinations of details are more of interest if you are not reading the story of Burke and Hare for the first time, in which case I would recommend Roughead's thorough edition. Then read Bailey, and watch them argue. :0)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fascinating and chilling account of two of the most infamous and evil criminals in history.
Covered in this eye opening book are the start of their murderous careers, from the first victim to the last,how their victims met their end,and the impact the murders had on the public.
Covered in detail is the way in which they were uncovered and what happened during their trail.this is an interesting and eye opening account of the life and crimes of the most notorious bodysnatchers in history, who unknowingly contributed massively to our knowledge of anatomy.
a very good book.
Covered in this eye opening book are the start of their murderous careers, from the first victim to the last,how their victims met their end,and the impact the murders had on the public.
Covered in detail is the way in which they were uncovered and what happened during their trail.this is an interesting and eye opening account of the life and crimes of the most notorious bodysnatchers in history, who unknowingly contributed massively to our knowledge of anatomy.
a very good book.
Format:Paperback
Despite there being a wealth of primary source information at hand for the West Port Murders, the myths of Edinburgh's most infamous criminals persists to this day. With that in mind, it is a sheer delight that I stumbled upon Brian Bailey's most thorough and logical investigation and summary of the murders of William Burke and William Hare. I got my copy from, of all places, an airport bookshop. This is the notorious home of trashy fiction, superfluous ghost-written celebrity autobiographies, "tragic-porn" true stories, "hard men" books and general pulp non-fiction. It is not the place that I would expect to find such a well-researched and scholarly myth-busting investigation. All I can say is that it is about time.
Most half-decent writers on the case get the basics of the story right - as do the onscreen horror films. They should do. The story is brief, covering barely a year, and is filled with so much sinister and extraordinarily heartless infamy only the clumsiest of hack writers would feel the need to stray off the path. This is not to say that myths haven't built up around this notorious iconic duo. Bailey does a thorough job into debunking such myths as the story about Burke breaking a boy's back across his knee or the fate of Hare wondering the streets of London as a blind beggar. However, his investigation goes far deeper. He also goes onto examine Dr Robert Knox's character and his later career, which seemed to be not nearly as badly affected as most writers would have you believe. He also gives logical and reasoned arguments for the order of victims, which is a common area of disagreement among writers on the case, and provides shockingly commonsensical revelations like the virtual impossibility that their first victim could have owed Hare £4.
Bailey's book has been criticised for being a book unsuitable for a first time reader of the case. I can see the point of the criticism, but it is written in a suitably engaging style and there is more than enough fiction on the screen - not to mention on some of the dubious "history tours" that are sold in Edinburgh - to give interested readers at least some idea of how the story went.
So if you have enjoyed or being satisfyingly scared by any number of the films based on the crimes of Burke and Hare - "The Greed of William Hart", "The Flesh and the Fiends", "The Horror of Burke and Hare" or "The Doctor and the Devils" - or fiction inspired by them - Robert L. Stevenson's classic short story, "The Bodysnatcher" or the Boris Karloff minor classic, "Corridors of Blood" - or if you are looking forward John Landis's latest feature film, "Burke and Hare", I would highly recommend that you purchase a copy of this book. It will help not only to filter out a lot of popular mythology created, but also to establish the true horror of what went on.
Most half-decent writers on the case get the basics of the story right - as do the onscreen horror films. They should do. The story is brief, covering barely a year, and is filled with so much sinister and extraordinarily heartless infamy only the clumsiest of hack writers would feel the need to stray off the path. This is not to say that myths haven't built up around this notorious iconic duo. Bailey does a thorough job into debunking such myths as the story about Burke breaking a boy's back across his knee or the fate of Hare wondering the streets of London as a blind beggar. However, his investigation goes far deeper. He also goes onto examine Dr Robert Knox's character and his later career, which seemed to be not nearly as badly affected as most writers would have you believe. He also gives logical and reasoned arguments for the order of victims, which is a common area of disagreement among writers on the case, and provides shockingly commonsensical revelations like the virtual impossibility that their first victim could have owed Hare £4.
Bailey's book has been criticised for being a book unsuitable for a first time reader of the case. I can see the point of the criticism, but it is written in a suitably engaging style and there is more than enough fiction on the screen - not to mention on some of the dubious "history tours" that are sold in Edinburgh - to give interested readers at least some idea of how the story went.
So if you have enjoyed or being satisfyingly scared by any number of the films based on the crimes of Burke and Hare - "The Greed of William Hart", "The Flesh and the Fiends", "The Horror of Burke and Hare" or "The Doctor and the Devils" - or fiction inspired by them - Robert L. Stevenson's classic short story, "The Bodysnatcher" or the Boris Karloff minor classic, "Corridors of Blood" - or if you are looking forward John Landis's latest feature film, "Burke and Hare", I would highly recommend that you purchase a copy of this book. It will help not only to filter out a lot of popular mythology created, but also to establish the true horror of what went on.
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