The 19th Century Underworld (Paperback)
Crime, Controversy and Corruption
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 209
Illustrations: 32
ISBN: 9781526751676
Published: 1st May 2019
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| Other formats available | Price |
|---|---|
| The 19th Century Underworld Hardback Add to Basket | £19.99 |
| The 19th Century Underworld ePub (8.3 MB) Add to Basket | £6.99 |
Underworld n. 1. the part of society comprising those who live by organised crime and immorality. 2. the mythical abode of the dead under the earth.
Take a walk on the dark side of the street in this unique exploration of the fears and desires at the heart of the British Empire, from the Regency dandy’s playground to the grim and gothic labyrinths of the Victorian city. Enter a world of gin spinners, sneaksmen and Covent Garden nuns, where bare-knuckled boxers slog it out for dozens of rounds, children are worth more dead than alive, and the Thames holds more bodies than the Ganges. This is the Modern Babylon, a place of brutal poverty, violent crime, strong drink, pornography and prostitution; of low neighbourhoods and crooked houses with windows out like broken teeth, wraithlike urchins with haunted eyes, desperate, ruthless and vicious men, and the broken remnants of once fine girls: a grey, bleak, infernal place, where gaslights fail to pierce the pestilential fog, and coppers travel in pairs, if they venture there at all.
Combining the accessibility of a popular history with original research, this book brings the denizens of this vanished world once more to life, along with the voices of those who sought to exploit, imprison or save them, or to simply report back from this alien landscape that both fascinated and appalled: the politicians, the reformers, the journalists and, above all, the storytellers, from literary novelists to purveyors of penny dreadfuls. Welcome to the 19th century underworld…
I recommend this book to anybody interested in London history, history about crime in the XIX century, researchers and writers keen on exploring and writing on any of the topics covered in the book, and to anybody who wants to gain a different perspective on the London of the Victorian era. Highly recommended.
Author Translator, Olga Nunez Miret
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This book is very well written and big thumbs up to the author and Pen & Sword Books. The book is absolutely fantastic and I will give it my highest mark in 5 stars out of 5.
UK Historian
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Featured in
Southwark News, 20th December 2018
Some of the events Carver recounts are unpleasant, but because he is a skilled writer he manifests a certain sensitivity in dealing with the more horrid aspects–child murders, for instance, are dealt with maturely and soberly. So this is not some rather rubbish true crime book–which always seem to be about ogling the foul deeds committed by brutes–but a well-written book which entertains where possible but treats the source material and subject (and the reader) with respect. I enjoyed all of the chapters... So, for a modestly priced volume which will soon be available in paperback as well, you too can, with Carver, navigate the seedy underworld of nineteenth-century London which could be both fun and frightening!
Geste of Robin Hood
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Competition winner announced
True Crime Library Bulletin 516
This Stephen Carver’s book lists the lid on the real history of the nineteenth century’s criminal fraternity and sorority. Popular history at its entertaining best.
Books Monthly
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There is source material here for any number of penny dreadful tales - an absolutely ripping, gripping read.
Jane Austen's Regency World, March/April 2019 - reviewed by by Joceline Bury.
As featured in competition
True Crime Library, Bulletin 506/7
Stephen Carver takes part in 'Meet The Author' feature
WDYTYA? February 2019
Article: Henry Spencer Ashbee: the Southwark local who amassed 'world's largest collection' of pornography as featured by
Southwark News, 20th December 2018 (print) - words by Josh Salisbury
There is plenty for everyone, regardless of what aspect of the 19th century underworld they are interested in; Carver’s interest in, and knowledge of, the literature is evident throughout, and he takes the reader on a rapid walk through the nooks and crannies of 19th century life, where you’re never quite sure of what lurks around the corner, but whatever it is, it is bound to be darkly fascinating.
Nell Darby, Criminal Historian
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Article: Henry Spencer-Ashbee: The Southwark local who amassed ‘The World’s Largest Collection of Porn’ as featured by
Southwark News, 19th December 2018 (online) - words by Josh Salisbury
Article: Author delves in to the dark past of city’s infamous murderer
Norwich Evening News, 8th December 2018 - words by Derek James
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