A Dutch invention in 1650 - a drink made from juniper berries - accompanied the arrival of William and Mary to the throne in London and was partially responsible for an outbreak of unprecedented lawlessness, which would not again be encountered for a further 100 years, until the first attempts at forming organized crime-busting units. The drink, abbreviated to gin from the Dutch "jenever", for the first time brought intoxicating spirits into the price range of the common man. Even so, whilst the gin palaces could advertize "get drunk for a penny, get dead drunk for tuppence", many men could still not afford their new craving without resorting to petty crime. The new drink and the move of many to the city and their resulting closeness to the wealthy contributed to a rapid growth in crime. The author's study of this period shows not only human beings and their weaknesses but the wretched injustices of crime and the means of punishing the accused.
- ISBN10 1902809106
- ISBN13 9781902809106
- Publish Date 29 May 2000
- Publish Status Cancelled
- Out of Print 12 August 2008
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Allison & Busby
- Imprint London House
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 232
- Language English