Providing a rounded and coherent history of crime and the law spanning the past 400 years, Histories of Crime explores the evolution of attitudes towards crime and criminality over time. Bringing together contributions from internationally acknowledgedexperts, the book highlights themes, current issues and key debates in the history of deviance and bad behaviour, including: - Marital cruelty and adultery- Infanticide- Murder- The underworld- Blasphemy and moral crimes- Fraud and white-collar crime- The death penalty and punishment.Individual case studies of violent and non-violent crime are used to explore the human means and motives behind criminal practice. Through these, the book illuminates society's wider attitudes and fears about criminal behaviour and the way in which these influence the law and legal system over time. This fascinating book is essential reading for students and teachers of history, sociology and criminology, as well as anyone interested in Britain's criminal past.

Introduction Moral Crimes and the Law in Britain Since 1700; D.Nash Cruelty and Adultery: Offences Against the Institution of Marriage; J.Bailey Desperate Measures or Cruel Intentions: Infanticide in Britain since 1600; A.M.Kilday 'Most Intimate Violations': Contextualising the Crime of Rape; K.Stevenson Murder and Fatality: The Changing Face of Homicide; S.D'Cruze Criminality, Deviance and The Underworld Since 1750; H.Shore Fraud and White Collar Crime: 1850 to the Present; S.Wilson Policing the Populace: the road to Professionalisation; C.Williams Execution as Punishment in England, 1750-2000; J.Rowbotham Annotated Further Reading.