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ithasabluecover's review against another edition
4.0
This is a historical non-fiction/true crime book about a trial in 1830's London. After was found that a couple of professional bodysnatchers had decided there wasn't enough trade in already dead people, and had decided to speed things up, legislation that automatically donated the unclaimed bodies of poor people to teaching hospitals and anatomy schools was passed, putting graverobbers out of business. The book covers the investigation and trial of the case, and sums up the aftermath. I promise the book is much more interesting than my little description there.
It's an interesting era in English history to read about, just before Charles Dickens and other social reformers started shedding light on some of the living conditions of the poor, and when "The Empire" was really in full swing. This case also took place right after the infamous "Burke and Hare" killings in Scotland ("Do you know the song?") so hysteria over the idea of murderous graverobber's really reached a fever pitch. The author wants to give a full idea of what London was like, so she wanders off topic a bit but I think it adds to the total effect and helps illuminate the story.
It's an interesting era in English history to read about, just before Charles Dickens and other social reformers started shedding light on some of the living conditions of the poor, and when "The Empire" was really in full swing. This case also took place right after the infamous "Burke and Hare" killings in Scotland ("Do you know the song?") so hysteria over the idea of murderous graverobber's really reached a fever pitch. The author wants to give a full idea of what London was like, so she wanders off topic a bit but I think it adds to the total effect and helps illuminate the story.
babiafi's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating read about the case of The Italian Boy and the wider history of body snatching in London. I knew about Burke and Hare, as ingrained in popular culture as they are, but this case was completely new to me. I particularly enjoyed the material on contemporary beliefs about body snatching and 'burking', and public reaction to suspected instances of it. My only quibble is that the background information on contemporary life is heavy going if you're already familiar with the period, but it's still well worth reading.
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