- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Allen Lane (19 Jun 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0713993928
- ISBN-13: 978-0713993929
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.8 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 687,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Apart from a generic "story of a criminal" in the introduction--in which Lucy Moore epitomises a typical rake's progress, with a narrative expertness and sparsely telling detail that suggests she could make a very effective writer of fiction--this book is wholly given over to 18th-century writings, trial transcripts, newspaper accounts, passages from autobiographies and the like. As a means of enhancing the vivid directness of the material this could hardly be bettered. These little histories are extraordinarily more-ish, like boxed chocolates, and the reader wolfs through "murderers", "prostitutes", "thieves", "pirates", "sex offenders" and "highwaymen", emerging at the other end stuffed with extraordinary 18th-century detail and colour. Perhaps the sense of historical verisimilitude this sort of book creates is a little misleading; after all, Moore has chosen her examples for their inherent interest. But many of these tales are extremely involving. Dr Theodore Fabricus, for instance, seems to have beaten his servant Grace Shaw to death. We read the trial documents, where various witnesses assert that they repeatedly heard poor Grace's cries as the doctor beat her; followed by the doctor himself cross-examining in an attempt to prove that she died of an infected boil, or "imposthume", in her ear. Its riveting, in a grisly way; as grisly as is the application of justice (the account ends laconically: "the jury found him guilty of manslaughter. Burnt in the hand"). Other stories cry out to be dealt with at greater length. Lord Ferrars, for instance, was a man so violent his wife procured legal separation, and he "once kicked a servant so hard in the groin that he was unable to retain urine for many years after." Why? "Because the servant would not swear that a delivery-boy had not delivered bad oysters to Ferrars on purpose." Ferrars is in the book because he told his steward to kneel down and then shot him in the head. He then called a doctor, saying "I intended to have shot him dead but since he is still alive you must do what you can for him." The steward died, and Ferrars went to the gallows. The Newgate Calender reported his cross-examination at trial as illustrative of his sanity, "of which," they said, "some doubt had been entertained," which seems to be putting it mildly. The book is perfect for reading in small spurts, little spotlights cast into the murkiness of 18th-century England. --Adam Roberts
Product Description
This text is a collection of historical accounts of 18th-century roguery, criminality and skull-duggery. It features a diverse gallery of criminals, ranging from infamous thieves and murderers, whores and highway men, pirates and fraudsters. With extracts from popular journalism and biographical accounts, this volume presents the 18th-century criminal underworld in the idiomatic language of the time.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A fascinating, riveting portrait of the 18th-century criminal underworld - utterly compelling
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I almost cringe at the thought what a great book a good popular historian might have written based on this material. As it is, ms. Moore confines herself to categorizing the contemporary descriptions and comments on the subject and her only other imput is modernising the spelling a bit. Now I'm all for using 18th century quotes sprinkled liberally through the text of a popular history book, liking a good laugh just as much as the next man. But 18th century storytellers and commentators, even the good ones by contemporary standards, tend to come across as long-winded and pompous by 21st century standards. Consequently, what might have been a compelling and highly entertaining read is basically a book that prints out in full what (I think) should have been used as notes and bibliography. No doubt serious students of the period will be pleased to be able to study the original comments and will rate the book much higher than I do. Those who like books on subjects like these to be entertainingly written as well as informative would in my humble opinion be well advised to steer clear.
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