The Complete Newgate Calendar (Vols. 2 & 5 only). This item is unavailable.The Complete Newgate Calendar (Vols. 2 & 5 only)

The Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, was a popular work of improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries Originally a monthly bulletin of executions, produced by the Keeper of Newgate Prison in London, the Calendar's title was appropriated by other publishers, who put out biographical chapbooks about notorious criminals such as Sawney Bean, Dick Turpin, John Wilkes and Moll Cutpurse Collected editions of these stories began to appear in the mid-18th century, and in 1774 a five-volume bound edition became the standard version While many of its accounts are highly embellished and/or drawn uncritically from other sources, they are lively and full of incident, and often refer to contemporary events and social issues Along with the Bible and John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, the Calendar was famously in the top three works most likely to be found in the average home These volumes are from the 1925-26 5 volume compilation from all the the previous editions and include cases from the early 18th century to the middle of the 19th century Both volumes are ex-library from the Lambeth library, and thus show typical library labels and ink stamps Both are in solid library red cloth with gilt titles on the spines The text however is entirely clean and unmarked, with just slight age toning They might well be unread, which would be a pity, for all of the intriguing criminal stories told 328, 346 pp.…