The Marquess of Queensberry is as famous for his role in the downfall of one of our greatest literary geniuses as he was for helping establish the rules for modern-day boxing. The trial and two-year imprisonment of Oscar Wilde, lover of Queensberry’s son, Lord Alfred Douglas, remains one of literary history’s great tragedies. However, Linda Stratmann's riveting biography of the Marquess paints a far more complex picture by drawing on new sources and unpublished letters. Throughout his life, Queensberry was emotionally damaged by a series of tragedies, and the events of the Wilde affair—told for the first time from the Marquess’s perspective—were directly linked to Queensberry’s personal crises. Through the retelling of pivotal events from Queensberry’s life—the death of his brother on the Matterhorn and his fruitless search for the body; the suicides of his father, brother, and eldest son—the book reveals a well-meaning man often stricken with a grief he found hard to express, who deserves our compassion.

The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde's Nemesis

Biographies & Memoirs

Stratmann, Linda

Historical

Yale University Press

Murder by poison alarmed, enthralled, and in many ways encapsulated the Victorian age. Linda Stratmann’s dark and splendid social history reveals the nineteenth century as a gruesome battleground where poisoners went head-to-head with authorities who strove to detect poisons, control their availability, and bring the guilty to justice. She corrects many misconceptions about particular poisons and documents how the evolution of issues such as marital rights and the legal protection of children impacted poisonings. Combining archival research with a novelist’s eye, Stratmann charts the era’s inexorable rise of poison cases both shocking and sad.

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder

History

Historical Study & Educational Resources

The Marquess of Queensberry is as famous for his role in the downfall of one of our greatest literary geniuses as he was for helping establish the rules for modern-day boxing. The trial and two-year imprisonment of Oscar Wilde, lover of Queensberry’s son, Lord Alfred Douglas, remains one of literary history’s great tragedies. However, Linda Stratmann's riveting biography of the Marquess paints a far more complex picture by drawing on new sources and unpublished letters. Throughout his life, Queensberry was emotionally damaged by a series of tragedies, and the events of the Wilde affair—told for the first time from the Marquess’s perspective—were directly linked to Queensberry’s personal crises. Through the retelling of pivotal events from Queensberry’s life—the death of his brother on the Matterhorn and his fruitless search for the body; the suicides of his father, brother, and eldest son—the book reveals a well-meaning man often stricken with a grief he found hard to express, who deserves our compassion.

Review\n'I love Linda Stratmann’s non fiction work. This is a beautifully researched and written history of poisoners - so vivid you can see yourself there on every page.' - Peter James, author of You're Dead\nMurder by poison alarmed, enthralled, and in many ways encapsulated the Victorian age. Linda Stratmann’s dark and splendid social history reveals the nineteenth century as a gruesome battleground where poisoners went head-to-head with authorities who strove to detect poisons, control their availability, and bring the guilty to justice. She corrects many misconceptions about particular poisons and documents how the evolution of issues such as marital rights and the legal protection of children impacted poisonings. Combining archival research with a novelist’s eye, Stratmann charts the era’s inexorable rise of poison cases both shocking and sad.\nBook Description\nMurder by poison alarmed, enthralled, and in many ways encapsulated the Victorian age. Combining archival research with a novelist’s eye, an expert in Victorian crime reveals the nineteenth century as a gruesome battleground where poisoners went head-to-head with toxicologists, criminologists, and society’s evolving legal infrastructure.

CHILD CARRIED OFF BY EAGLE! LION'S ADVENTURES IN A PLAYGROUND! MAN KILLED BY A COFFIN! The Illustrated Police News cost just a penny, providing an affordable illustrated roundup of "all the startling events of the week" from its first issue published on February 20, 1864. Promising to educate the people with fantastic features such as "BURGLARIES OF THE WEEK" and its bountiful, often outlandish, illustrations, the paper was also a perhaps unexpected champion of social change. With crime historian Linda Stratmann as guide, the articles and special reports of the newspaper provide a fascinating view into the reading tastes and daily lives of its readership throughout the decades. Led by the newspaper's bombastic imagery sourced from the Library's extensive archive, this new book revels in the infamy and social significance behind the exuberant headlines of this extraordinary periodical.

The Illustrated Police News: The Shocks, Scandals & Sensations of the Week 1864-1938

Europe

British Library Publishing

“Jack the Ripper Arrested with Victim Alice MacKenzie in Whitechapel.” “Boys Murder Their Mother. Revolting Crime at Plaistow—Shocking Details.” “Horrible Discovery of Human Remains at Rainham.” These are just some of the captions for the true crimes depicted in the Illustrated Police News. Best known for its meticulous coverage of the murders of Jack the Ripper, the weekly newspaper, published from 1864 until 1938, reported murders, hangings, and other dramatic crimes of the time alongside images packed with gruesome detail. Unapologetic about its sensationalism, the Illustrated Police News has been often dismissed as of little value, merely a crude publication that aimed to thrill the undiscerning reader with prurient pictures. But in Cruel Deeds and Dreadful Calamities, Linda Stratmann sets the record straight, arguing that it was actually a promoter of social change. Stratmann examines its social and political agenda and reveals the power and compassion in its images. She argues that the publication campaigned against the evils of cruelty, poverty, drink, and crime. As well, it anticipated by many years the features of today’s journalism, in the rapidity with which it provided pictures of current news events, its appeal to the emotions, and the way it involved its readers in the reporting process.
 A highly illustrated and comprehensive look at the Illustrated Police News,this book offers substantial new research into how the paper was produced, the men who made it a success, and the stories behind the pictures. This look into the dark underbelly of Victorian culture will appeal to both crime and history readers alike.

Cruel Deeds and Dreadful Calamities: The Illustrated Police News 1864-1938

British Library

Right up until the 19th century, physicians and philosophers regarded sleep as a state of near-oblivion in which there was no mental activity, a kind of halfway stage between wakefulness and death. For the Victorians, therefore, when anaesthesia was first practised, it was commonly seen as traumatic—for doctors were being asked to induce a condition looked upon as partial death. Viewed with suspicion, many feared that they would never wake again, or that they would lose their faculties on a permanent basis, even become insane. Yet, especially after Queen Victoria allowed its administration to her during childbirth, its use to block out pain became widespread. This engaging and entertaining book traces the social, medical and criminal history of chloroform, from early medical practices to create oblivion through the discovery of chloroform and its discovery, its use and misuse in the 19th century, to the present. Today chloroform is no longer used as an anaesthetic, but has a multitude of uses in industry and medical research, including a role in DNA profiling. A by-product of the chlorination of water, we inhale infinitesimal amounts of chloroform every time we have a shower.

Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion

The History Press

Right up until the 19th century, physicians and philosophers regarded sleep as a state of near-oblivion in which there was no mental activity, a kind of halfway stage between wakefulness and death. For the Victorians, therefore, when anaesthesia was first practised, it was commonly seen as traumatic—for doctors were being asked to induce a condition looked upon as partial death. Viewed with suspicion, many feared that they would never wake again, or that they would lose their faculties on a permanent basis, even become insane. Yet, especially after Queen Victoria allowed its administration to her during childbirth, its use to block out pain became widespread. This engaging and entertaining book traces the social, medical and criminal history of chloroform, from early medical practices to create oblivion through the discovery of chloroform and its discovery, its use and misuse in the 19th century, to the present. Today chloroform is no longer used as an anaesthetic, but has a multitude of uses in industry and medical research, including a role in DNA profiling. A by-product of the chlorination of water, we inhale infinitesimal amounts of chloroform every time we have a shower.

Chloroform: The Quest For Oblivion

Science & Math

Sutton Pub Ltd

"The most notorious blasted rascal in the world." Lord ChesterfieldThe venal and depraved reputation of Colonel Francis Charteris (16721732), and the story of his celebrated trial for the rape of his servant girl, one of the most infamous cases of the 18th century, became legendary and long survived his death. This book, for the first time, tells the remarkable story of Charterisportrayed by Hogarth as the rake in The Harlot’s Progressand how his servant girl successfully prosecuted the notorious aristocratic rake for rape. His reputation was such that he was obliged to use a false name in order to get female servants to agree to work for him. Ann Bond was engaged through an intermediary, but when her employer began to make regular advances towards her she realized his true identity. She demanded to be allowed to leave, but Charteris raped her and she was whipped and thrown out without her belongings. Most victims would have considered Charteris too powerful to bring to justice, but Ann filed a complaint, and he found himself facing a charge of rape, then a capital crime.

Notorious Blasted Rascal: Colonel Charteris and the Servant Girl's Revenge

The sudden death of overweight 49-year-old Thomas Whibley sparks off an acrimonious furore in Bayswater, and sparks fly between rival diet doctors, vegetarians and the extremist Pure Food Society. Young sleuth Frances Doughty is engaged to discover the author of anonymous libels, when a former colleague of Whibley’s, Hubert Sweetman, who has served fourteen years in prison for a violent robbery he claims he did not commit, asks her to trace his estranged family. Before she can start, however, the police arrive and arrest her client for the murder of his wife. There will be more murders and a vicious attack on Frances before she finally resolves a number of knotty questions. Is Hubert Sweetman really innocent? Where are his missing children? And who wielded the poisoned pen? The fourth book in the popular Frances Doughty Mystery series.

An Appetite for Murder: A Frances Doughty Mystery 4 (4) (The Frances Doughty Mysteries)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

The Mystery Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stratmann, Linda. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Stratmann, Linda

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Stratmann, Linda. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde's Nemesis

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder

The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde's Nemesis

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder

The Illustrated Police News: The Shocks, Scandals & Sensations of the Week 1864-1938

Cruel Deeds and Dreadful Calamities: The Illustrated Police News 1864-1938

Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion

Chloroform: The Quest For Oblivion

Notorious Blasted Rascal: Colonel Charteris and the Servant Girl's Revenge

An Appetite for Murder: A Frances Doughty Mystery 4 (4) (The Frances Doughty Mysteries)