15 November 2011

LJMU's Dr. Michael MacIlwee has recently had a new book published by Liverpool University Press. Entitled The Liverpool underworld: crime in the city, 1750-1900, it is a history of the city's crime and social conditions. It follows on from Gangs of Liverpool from 2006 and Tearaways: More Gangs of Liverpool, from 2008.

In the nineteenth century Liverpool gained a notorious reputation as the most crime-ridden place in the country. Dock theft, alcohol-related crime, prostitution, sectarian violence, a high level of female offending and armies of juvenile thieves made Liverpool a distinct criminal landscape, 'the black spot on the Mersey'. Using contemporary newspapers and journals (both local and national), autobiographies and first-hand accounts gleaned from parliamentary and prison reports, the book explores the social background, conditions and events that helped create and sustain the variety and high level of criminality. The book is a mixture of analysis, statistics and accounts of criminal practices, from poaching to pocket-picking to prostitution. Long buried away in newspaper archives and dusty library shelves, the voices of the long-forgotten Liverpool poor and so-called 'criminal classes' are allowed to speak for themselves, offering their own motivations, fears, boasts and aspirations. The book also looks at how the various institutions, including the police, courts, prisons, churches and philanthropic organisations, attempted to bring order to the streets and improve the behaviour of the Liverpool public. Finally the book suggests that we are still struggling with the legacy of Victorian social problems and solutions, particularly in relation to debates about alcohol, prostitution and the usefulness of prisons as punishment.

The book has already received rave reviews:

"A rattling good read" - Professor Clive Emsley Open University

"A well-written and fascinating book on the history of crime in Liverpool" - Professor David Taylor

The Liverpool underworld: crime in the city, 1750-1900, is available now online from Amazon or locally from Waterstones, Parrys and other good book retailers.

For further information contact Dr MacIlwee by email m.macilwee@ljmu.ac.uk