ISBN A Fiery & Furious People book English Paperback 784 pages

*Chosen as a Book of the Year byThe Times,History Todayand theSunday Telegraph*
‘Wonderfully entertaining, comprehensive and astute.’The Times
‘Genuinely hard to put down.’BBC History Magazine
From murder to duelling, highway robbery to mugging: the darker side of English life explored.
Spanning some seven centuries,A Fiery & Furious Peopletraces the subtle shifts that have taken place both in the nature of violence and in people’s attitudes to it. How could football be regarded at one moment as a raucous pastime that should be banned, and the next as a respectable sport that should be encouraged? When did the serial killer first make an appearance? What gave rise to particular types of violent criminal - medieval outlaws, Victorian garrotters – and what made them dwindle and then vanish? Above all, Professor James Sharpe hones in on a single, fascinating question: has the country that has experienced so much turmoil naturally prone to violence or are we, in fact, becoming a gentler nation?
‘Wonderful . . . A fascinating and rare example of a beautifully crafted scholarly work.’Times Higher Education
‘Sweeping and ambitious . . . A humane and clear-eyed guide to a series of intractable and timely questions.’Observer
‘Deeply researched, thoughtfully considered and vividly written . . . Read it.’History Today
‘Magisterial . . . The outlaw’s song has surely never been better rendered.’Times Literary Supplement