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The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave-Robbery
in 1830s London
Sarah Wise (Jonathan Cape)
Peter
Ackroyd
In 1831, the authorities unearthed a
series of crimes at No. 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 were supplying the anatomy
schools with fresh ‘examples’ for dissection.
The case became known as ‘The Italian Boy’ and
caused a furore that led directly to the passing of controversial
legislation that marked the beginning of the end of body
snatching in Britain.
Sarah Wise is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor
to The Guardian, Independent on Sunday
Review, Observer magazine and The Times.
She has also worked on women’s magazines, including Marie
Claire. She completed an MA in Victorian Studies at
Birkbeck College in 1996. This is her first book.
Contact: Louise Rhind-Tutt at Pimlico on 020 7840 8578 or lrhind-tutt@randomhouse.co.uk
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