Book summaryLondoners already doubted the abilities of their fledgling police force when an unusual criminal, popularly dubbed "The Monster," was on the loose in 1790. London women lived in fear of "The Monster," who stalked them in the street, hurled indecent insults and finally stabbed them in the buttocks. Incited by the press, and indeed by the availability of cheap prints depicting the crime (which emphasized the bodily region of the attack), the London masses responded with hysteria that amounted to vigilantism. This comprehensive, well-researched history of the affair analyzes the details of the case in the context of London society and law enforcement in the late 18th century. |
The London Monster: A Sanguinary Taleby Bondeson, JanFirst Edition
Book desription: New York, New York, U.S.A.: Da Capo Pr, 2002. First Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. The facts in this case are so peculiar that no novelist would have dared to invent them." Philadelphia Inquirer. A century before Jack the Ripper haunted the streets of London, another predator held sway: A "vulgar-looking man" who slashed at female pedestrians with a knife while uttering profanities with a "tremulous eagerness" - over fifty victims during a two-year crime spree. The city was gripped with fear, outrage, and "Monster mania." The latter was abetted by a 100-pound reward and by the circulation of bawdy prints that capitalized on the Monster's tendency to slash his victims' buttocks. Armed vigilantes roamed the steets, and fashionable ladies dared not walk outdoors with strategically placed frying pans under their dresses. Drawing on contemporary evidence and reinterpreting Monster mania in the light of historical and modern instances of mass hysteria, Jan Bondeson recounts with dry wit a tale that occupies a unique place in criminal history and imagination. 241 pages, including notes, and index, and drawings. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
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