The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise
Towards the end of 1831, the authorities unearthed a series of crimes at Number 3, Nova Scotia Gardens in East London that appeared to echo the notorious Burke and Hare killings in Edinburgh three years earlier. After a long investigation, it became known that a group of body snatchers - two men in particular, John Bishop and Thomas Williams, called the 'London Burkers' - were supplying the anatomy schools with fresh 'examples' for dissection. The case became known as 'The Italian Boy' and caused a furore which led directly to the passing of controversial legislation which marked the beginning of the end of body snatching in Britain. The case revealed something else as well: some extremely unpleasant aspects of life in London, a city that had increased in size by one-third to over one-and-a-half million inhabitants between 1801 and 1831, and which was continuing to expand at a phenomenal and unprecedented rate. In The Italian Boy, Sarah Wise not only investigates the case of the London Burkers but also, by making use of an incredibly rich archival store, the lives of ordinary lower-class Londoners.
Sarah Wise is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor to the Guardian, the Independent on Sunday Review, and The Times. She completed an MA in Victorian Studies at Birkbeck College in 1996. This is her first book.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780224071765 |
| ISBN 10 | 0224071769 |
| Title | The Italian Boy |
| Author | Sarah Wise |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2004-05-06 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2005 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |