London's Underworld: Three Centuries of Vice and Crime, by Fergus Linnane

Retrieved from: my library
(1861057423), 2004
Suggested by: I cataloged it; it looked interesting
My Ratings: 5 Merit, 6 Interest, 4 Fun

Eeeuw. This is the book I will recommend to people who think that crime was invented in the 20th century. The criminal element in the 17th and 18th century in London was bold enough that no less a person than the King was pickpocketed...more than once. Crime was rampant, unconfined and unchecked.

The main problem was that there was no police force of any kind until around 1830. The British didn't want to give up their "liberties" and be like the French with their gendarmes and secret police. Instead, they suffered incredibly fearful streets.

Honestly, I didn't read much of the 30th century discussion of crime. It seemed to assume a certain knowledge of individual cases that I didn't have. Actually, this was problematic throughout: I just recognize names like Robert Peel and James Boswell more than the Kray family.

Interesting for research purposes.