CRUEL DEEDS AND DREADFUL CALAMITIES The Illustrated Police News 1864-1938

Hardback. 'The Illustrated Police News' is often dismissed as a crude publication which aimed to thrill the undiscerning reader with gruesome pictures. The author sets out to correct that belief by demonstrating the diversity of its subject matter, examining its social and political agenda and revealing the power and compassion in its images. 'The Illustrated Police News' was a promoter of social change and a campaigner against the evils of cruelty, poverty, drink and crime. 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 involvement of its readers in the reporting process. This is the first book exclusively about 'The Illustrated Police News' to reproduce the pictures as high quality images, provide a balanced account of its content and cover the full period of its publication. There is substantial new research into how the paper was produced, the men who made it a success, and the stories behind the pictures. Chapter headings include : Murder; Accidents & Disasters; Cops & Robbers; Social Comment; Women; Animals; Celebrities, Scandals & Public Events; Achievement, Courage & Competition; Supernatural & Strange; Cruel & Unusual. Profusely Illus. + Afterword, Bibliog. and Index. 160pp. 4to. h/back. Pictorial glazed covers. dw. not required. Two corners v. sl. bumped o/w Nr. F. Now quite scarce. A fairly heavy book which may require additional postage if shipped overseas.