McLynn provides the first comprehensive view of crime and its consequences in the eighteenth century: why was England notorious for violence? Why did the death penalty prove no deterrent? Was it a crude means of redistributing wealth?

In "Crime and Punishment in Eighteenth-Century England, "Frank McLynn undermines the traditional myths of crime in the century. He sets crime into a wider social and political context, within a world of fears and envies, but most of all as part of a society with a deep sense of insecurity. At one level, the eighteenth century was the Age of Reason, a period of Augustan elegance and calm. At another level, it was a Hogarthian world of crime, disease and squalor. It is a compelling a disturbing picture, presented by a historian who is a master of his craft.

`(Frank McLynn's) grasp of his subject is masterly, his arguments are lucid, and his research daunting.' - The Times

`Scholarly, sensible and acute ... McLynn's book is the most valuable contribution to the history of crime and punishment ...' - Christopher Hibbert, The Sunday Times

`Comprehensive view of crime and its consequences in 18th-century England.'' - British Book News

` ... the author has been assiduous in his research and produced an absorbing and alarming study of a society in disarray.' - Peter Parker, The Listener