Albion's Fatal Tree
Crime and Society in Eighteenth Century England

Albion's Fatal Tree: Crime and Society in Eighteenth Century England by Peter Linebaugh, Douglas Hay, E.P. Thompson, Cal Winslow & John G. Rule (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781844677160)

"Provocative, full of insights into neglected phases of eighteenth-century social history, and at times profound." J.H. Plumb, The Observer

Leading historians present a fascinating collection of essays on the eighteenth century legal system and those who passed through it.

<p>In the popular imagination, informed as it is by Hogarth, Swift, Defoe and Fielding, the eighteenth-century underworld is a place of bawdy knockabout, rife with colourful eccentrics. But the artistic portrayals we have only hint at the dark reality. In this new edition of a classic collection of essays, renowned social historians from Britain and America examine the gangs of criminals who tore apart English society, while a criminal law of unexampled savagery struggled to maintain stability.<p>Douglas Hay deals with the legal system that maintained the propertied classes, and in another essay shows it in brutal action against poachers; John G. Rule and Cal Winslow tell of smugglers and wreckers, showing how these activities formed a natural part of the life of traditional communities. Together with Peter Linebaugh s piece on the riots against the surgeons at Tyburn, and E. P. Thompson s illuminating work on anonymous threatening letters, these essays form a powerful contribution to the study of social tensions at a transformative and vibrant stage in English history.<p>This new edition includes a new introduction by Winslow, Hay and Linebaugh, reflecting on the turning point in the social history of crime that the book represents