Fingerprints: Murder and the Race to Uncover the Science of Identity [Paperback]

Beaven, a journalist and trained physicist, tells his story through the prism of a particular turn-of-the-century East End murder, the first case where fingerprints proved absolutely crucial to detection and conviction. Using this springboard, Beaven dives into the history of criminal investigation, surfacing with such pearls as the 19th century Scottish missionary who discovered prints on ancient Japanese pottery, the Victorian geneticist Francis Galton who thought certain kinds of prints indicated intellectual prowess, and the scandalous 1896 jailing of "con artist" Adolf Beck--a man who would have been proved innocent had the value of fingerprint evidence been more widely acknowledged at the time.

If that list infers the book is narrowly focused on the late Victorian age, it shouldn't. Beaven is, if anything, a historical jackdaw: he also sees fit to include the "supernatural ordeals" of Medieval justice, the establishment of investigating juries way back in 1215, the Italian innovations in law and criminology that came with the Renaissance, and much, much else. The result is a witty, readable, concise, informative, lucid, highly entertaining bouillabaisse of history, anecdote, criminal lore and truly popular science. --Sean Thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'As entertaining as it is well-researched and informative.' Scotland on Sunday

'Full of such fine small stories. Beavan has added another splendid book to the canon of non-fiction classics.' Dea Birkett, Independent

'As gripping as any crime novel.' Simon Singh, Sunday Telegraph

'By sparse intelligent use of detail Beavan has created an engrossing, tight drama spanning the latter part of the 19th Century. His research is impressive and he seems to have a genuine feel for the period.' Daily Telegraph

• ‘Beavan skilfully interweaves an absorbing tale with a fine cast of colourful and eccentric characters to provide a compelling account of the origins of forensic science.‘ Deborah Cadbury, author of THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS

Some ideas, like Plaster of Paris or tarmacadam, are so simple yet brilliant they go on being used centuries after their conception; Fingerprints is an analysis and history of just one such Victorian "invention": the use of fingerprints as criminal evidence…The result is a witty, readable, concise, informative, lucid, highly entertaining bouillabaisse of history, anecdote, criminal lore and truly popular science.’ Sean Thomas, Amazon.co.uk

A fascinating exploration into the history of science and crime. In the tradition of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’, FINGERPRINTS is the story of the race to discover the secrets trapped in the whorls and arches found on the palm of one’s hand.

In 1905 an elderly couple were found murdered in their shop in Deptford, London. The only evidence at the scene of the crime was a sweaty fingerprint on a cashbox. Was it possible that a single fingerprint could be enough to lead to a conviction? Could the pattern of these tracks hold the secrets of the science of identification?

Through the story of three brilliant men: William Herschel, a colonial administrator in Indian, Henry Faulds, a missionary in Japan and Charles Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton, the extraordinary story of the history of fingerprinting is revealed.

It is a story of intellectual skulduggery and scientific brilliance. Packed with an extraordinary cast of individuals whose scientific breakthroughs helped solve one of the most brutal murders in English history and shape our understanding of identity forever.

In 1905 an elderly couple were found murdered in their shop in Deptford, London. The only evidence at the scene of the crime was a sweaty fingerprint on a cashbox. Was it possible that a single fingerprint could be enough to lead to a conviction? Could the pattern of these tracks hold the secrets of the science of identification?

Through the story of three brilliant men: William Herschel, a colonial administrator in Indian, Henry Faulds, a missionary in Japan and Charles Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton, the extraordinary story of the history of fingerprinting is revealed.

It is a story of intellectual skulduggery and scientific brilliance. Packed with an extraordinary cast of individuals whose scientific breakthroughs helped solve one of the most brutal murders in English history and shape our understanding of identity forever.

Colin Beavan is a magazine journalist writing for ‘Esquire’ and ‘Atlantic Monthly’. He gained his Ph.D in applied physics from the University of Liverpool.