You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
"An exceptionally interesting book about criminals and their ways" Dail The fascinating autobiography of detective Tom Divall, who served in the Metropolitan Police from 1882 to 1913. His recollections and reminiscences from more than thirty years in policing, beginning as a police constable, and rising to the rank of Chief Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.) at Scotland Yard. Unlike other police memoires of the era, which tend to focus on famous or fictional cases and favour sensationalism over authenticity, Tom Divall writes earnestly about his own direct experiences as a policeman. He recalls a wide range of encounters he had with criminals of all classes, genders ...
While the history of the uniformed police has prompted considerable research, the historical study of police detectives has been largely neglected; confined for the most part to a chapter or a brief mention in books dealing with the development of the police in general. The collection redresses this imbalance. Investigating themes central to the history of detection, such as the inchoate distinction between criminals and detectives, the professionalisation of detective work and the establishment of colonial police forces, the book provides a the first detailed examination of detectives as an occupational group, with a distinct occupational culture. Essays discuss the complex relationship bet...
"Ripper Notes: Death in London's East End" is a collection of essays about the famous unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper and related topics. Jennifer Pegg starts things off by documenting some of the major errors and discrepancies in the book "Uncle Jack" by Tony Williams and Humphrey Price, including a Victorian era document which appears to have been altered to try to implicate their suspect. Wolf Vanderlinden explores whether Inspector Walter Andrews of Scotland Yard really did go to America to chase Dr. Francis Tumblety in connection with the Whitechapel murders or if he was actually there to try to collect evidence for the Parnell Commission, which was trying link Irish leader C...
The figure of the detective has long excited the imagination of the wider public, and the English police detective has been a special focus of attention in both print and visual media. Yet, while much has been written in the last three decades about the history of uniformed policemen in England, no similar work has focused on police detectives. The Ascent of the Detective redresses this by exploring the diverse and often arcane world of English police detectives during the formative period of their profession, from 1842 until the First World War, with special emphasis on the famed detective branch established at Scotland Yard. The book starts by illuminating the detectives' socioeconomic bac...
Jack the Ripper and beyond—forty-one years in the investigative career of a man hailed by many as Scotland Yard’s greatest detective of all time. Fred Wensley was a Somerset gardener when he joined the Metropolitan Police in 1888. His first case was to unmask Jack the Ripper. At least it familiarized Wensley with Whitechapel, where he bided his time collaring less threatening ne’er-do-wells. After joining the CID, Wensley’s career was a succession of triumphs. He brought to book the Bessarabian, Odessa, and Vendetta crime syndicates of London’s East End; he played an instrumental role in smashing Latvian revolutionaries in the notorious Siege of Sidney Street; he formed the Flying ...
“So if you’re a fan of Peaky Blinders and want to read the true stories behind those characters and tales . . . this is the book for you.” —Britain’s Gangland Magazine Between the two World Wars, there was a dramatic upsurge of violence as rival criminal gangs vied for rich pickings from bookmakers at racetracks throughout England. With ready access to cash, “bookies” were a magnet for mobsters’ blackmailing demands. Refusal to pay resulted in severe punishment. Their justified fears spawned a ready “protection” market. Conflict between rival gangs were frequent and increasingly violent. Charles “Darby” Sabini with his brothers ran “The Italian Mob” who clashed wi...
Previously published in 2020 by Amberley Publishing.
First published between 1975 and 1991, this set reissues 13 volumes that originally appeared as part of the History Workshop Series. This series of books, which grew out of the journal of the same name, advocated ‘history from below’ and examined numerous, often social, issues from the perspectives of ordinary people. In the words of founder Raphael Samuel, the aim was to turn historical research and writing into ‘a collaborative enterprise’, via public gatherings outside of a traditional academic setting, that could be used to support activism and social justice as well as informing politics. Some of the topics examined in the set include: mineral workers, rural radicalism, and the ...