#x98;A#x9C; fiery & furious people a history of violence in England

*Chosen as a Book of the Year by The Times , History Today and the Sunday 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 People traces 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 A TIMES AND SUNDAY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Wonderfully entertaining, comprehensive and astute.' The Times 'Sweeping and ambitious ... Sharpe is a humane and clear-eyed guide to a series of intractable and timely questions.' Observer 'A magisterial book ... The outlaw's song has surely never been better rendered.' Times Literary Supplement From the tragic tale of Mary Clifford, whose death at the hands of her employer scandalised Georgian London, to an account of the violent activities of Victorian Manchester's scuttling gangs, via a character portrait of the duel-obsessed Cavalier Sir John Reresby, A Fiery & Furious People explores the brutal underside of our national life in all its variety. And as it considers the litany of assaults, murders and riots that pepper our history, it also traces the subtle shifts that have taken place both in the nature of... Professor James Sharpe Explores The Brutal Underside Of Our National Life Across Some Seven Centuries. And As He Looks At The Litany Of Assaults, Murders And Riots That Pepper Our History He Traces The Subtle Shifts Both In The Nature Of Violence And In People's Attitudes To It. Explores the brutal underside of our national life across some seven centuries. This book looks at the litany of assaults, murders and riots that pepper our history it traces the subtle shifts both in the nature of violence and in people's attitudes to it.