Burke & Hare the Body Snatchers - Revolting Crimes - Full Details, True Account

Jones, Regd B ( Reginald )

Published by The Daisy Bank Printing & Publishing Co, Manchester

About this Item

Not dated, approx 1910. 32pp. Good/None. Soft pictorial card covers with minor rubbing/chipping to edges/spine, minor soiling. Contents clean but cover detached from contents, minor soilning/creasing to pages. A 'Penny Dreadful' type booklet giving a sensationalist account of the story of the notorious grave-robbers and murderers William Burke (1872-1829) and William Hare. Burke & Hare are believed to have committed 16 murders in order to supply bodies for money for anatomical study. There was a shortage of suitable bodies in early 19th century Edinburgh so to remedy this the duo started murdering lodgers in Hare's house. Most were sold to the eminent anatomist Robert Knox. The duo's crimes were eventually uncovered. Hare turned King's evidence against Burke, and he was found guilty and sentence to death. He was hanged in 1829, his body dissected and his skeleton put on display at Edinburgh Medical School. Hare was released and his final fate is unknown. This booklet is dated to around 1910 based on the titles on the back cover - the Johnson v Jeffries fight and the execution of Crippen took place in 1910 and I estimate this booklet dates to shortly after this. Scarce in this edition. Seller Inventory # 007462

Bibliographic Details

Title: Burke & Hare the Body Snatchers - Revolting ...

Publisher: The Daisy Bank Printing & Publishing Co, Manchester

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket