Jack Sheppard, glamorous rebel, daring escapee and idol of the London mob, was one of the most legendary criminals of 18th-century England. When he finally met his end and was hanged in 1724, weeping girls and thronging crowds lined the road to the gallows at Tyburn. In uncovering Jack Sheppard's enthralling story, lively and prolific historian Christopher Hibbert has drawn on contemporary newspapers, pamphlets and trial reports. He reveals a wild, dissolute, extravagant character, who, although he drank to excess, frequented the beds of prostitutes and was the "greatest prison breaker in the annals of this country", also proved to be a man of great intelligence, wit and charm. Yet this is more than the story of one individual. It also takes us on a fascinating tour through the murky underworld of 18th-century London: a grim jungle of brothels, gin cellars, gaming dens and doss-houses. We are introduced to a rogues' gallery of drunkards, pickpockets, kidnappers and murderers as well as the most notorious characters of the time, including corrupt City Marshal Charles Hitchen and machiavellian thief-taker Jonathan Wild.
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About the Author
Christopher Hibbert is a prolific author, many of whose books are published by Penguin. Other titles to appear in the Classic Penguin series are The Making of Charles Dickens and Charles I.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although the premise of the book is a biography of one of England's most infamous villains it additionally serves up a vivid picture of London in the early 18th century. The very brief life of Jack Sheppard whose escapades brought him some degree of infamy in English criminal terms is told against a backdrop of the London underworld complete with poverty, slums and gin shops. As usual Hibbert gives the reader a very personal view of Jack Sheppard as a charming rogue, a chancer in modern terms whose destiny is pre-ordained by the society he was brought up in.
Indeed the final chapters dealing with his capture, escape and recapture leading to that final journey to the gallows are wonderfully written and leave the reader with much sympathy for the character.
A very enjoyable read!
Indeed the final chapters dealing with his capture, escape and recapture leading to that final journey to the gallows are wonderfully written and leave the reader with much sympathy for the character.
A very enjoyable read!
By History Geek
Format:Paperback
Just like Dick Turpin, Jack Sheppard was a notorious thief in eighteenth-century England at whose execution the press and public went wild, treating him like a celebrity. Unlike Turpin, Sheppard's fame has been diluted by time. Hibbert gives us Sheppard's life story, using the contemporary sources and presenting him as a charming rogue. Sheppard was a master escaper, breaking out from prison numerous times but always managing to get caught again. Ultimately, he was unable to avoid the hangman's rope at Tyburn. As well as writing about Sheppard's life, Hibbert considers the penal system, Jonathan Wilde and the criminal underworld that Sheppard inhabited. Although occasionally a little dated and flowery in the writing now, this remains a very good snapshot of eighteenth-century crime and punishment.
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