Law, crime and deviance since 1700 : micro-studies in the history of crime /

This is a broad, colorful collection of 13 narratives of crime and criminals and how their microhistories (case studies) illuminated the larger issues in criminal justice systems in Britain (mostly), the US, and Europe. This is history from below, but it is not statistical and is mercifully free of postmodern obscurities. Each case is fascinating. The various contributors cover such subjects as an acid attack by a jilted woman in the 1870s and her acquittal, thus illuminating gender considerations; the confinement of a supposed prostitute in a Victorian lock hospital; the disputed use in London in the 1840s of plainclothes policemen in pubs to nab Sunday drinkers; a murderous crime spree by an American deserter and his English girlfriend in wartime Britain; and Victorian white-collar crime, a subject scarcely understood then and often ignored by modern historians. There are also microhistories of convicts, including chain gang narratives from the southern US and transportees to Australia. Much of the detail in these narratives depends on the remarkable ability of historians today to use online primary sources to bring to life the forgotten. The book is scholarly and clearly written, extensively documented, and fascinating. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. --Phillip T. Smith, Saint Joseph's University