Murder by the book : the crime that shocked Dickens's London
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2018].
Status
Hazel Green Branch - Adult Non-Fiction
364.1523 HAR
1 available
North Huntsville Branch - Adult Non-Fiction
TRU 364.1523 HAR
1 available

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More Details

Published
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2018].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
252 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Language
English

Notes

General Note
"This is a Borzoi Book."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
"From the prize-winning biographer--the fascinating, little-known story of a Victorian-era murder that rocked literary London, leading Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, and Queen Victoria herself to wonder: can a novel kill? In May 1840, Lord William Russell, well known in London's highest social circles, was found with his throat cut. The brutal murder had the whole city talking. The police suspected Russell's valet, Courvoisier, but the evidence was weak. And the missing clue lay in the unlikeliest place: what Courvoisier had been reading. In the years just before the murder, new printing methods had made books cheap and abundant, the novel form was on the rise, and suddenly everyone was reading. The best-selling titles were the most sensational true-crime stories. Even Dickens and Thackeray, both at the beginning of their careers, fell under the spell of these tales--Dickens publicly admiring them, Thackeray rejecting them. One such phenomenon was William Harrison Ainsworth's Jack Sheppard, the story of an unrepentant criminal who escaped the gallows time and again. When Courvoisier finally confessed his guilt, he would cite this novel in his defense. Murder By the Book combines the thrilling true-crime story with a illuminating account of the rise of the novel form and the battle for its early soul between the most famous writers of the time. It is a superbly researched, vividly written, fascinating read from first to last"--,Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Harman, C. (2018). Murder by the book: the crime that shocked Dickens's London (First American edition.). Alfred A. Knopf.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Harman, Claire. 2018. Murder By the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London. Alfred A. Knopf.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Harman, Claire. Murder By the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London Alfred A. Knopf, 2018.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Harman, Claire. Murder By the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London First American edition., Alfred A. Knopf, 2018.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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