'Orrible Murder (1971, Leonard De Vries) is a morbid and frequently entertaining collection of articles and illustrations from London's tabloid crime newspapers, circa 1870. The complete title is: 'ORRIBLE MURDER An Anthology of Victorian Crime and Passion Compiled From The Illustrated Police News.Faithfully reproduced here is the tragedy and squalor of everyday life in Victorian London, interpreted through sensational headlines and macabre engravings.
Most popular are lurid stories of domestic violence....murder, suicide, torture, kidnapping, any of which may have just occurred right on your own street or in your neighbors' flat, followed by natural and man-made disasters, fanciful encounters with the still mysterious animal kingdom, and the occasional supernatural entanglement with the spirit world. And if it was a really slow news day, descriptions of barbarities documented in foreign lands or in past civilizations.
Here is a sampling of some of the bizarre and sensational stories found here.A BALLET GIRL BURNT TO DEATH
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A GHOST
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A SEA DEVIL
BARBAROUS MURDER
AWFUL CRUELTY TO AN IDIOT BOY
A SPONGE DIVER SWALLOWED BY A SEA MONSTER
(untitled illustration of hanging man, decapitated)
FATAL ACCIDENT TO AN IMPALEMENT PERFORMANCE
DREADFUL CHILD MURDER AT HULL
DINING OFF A DEAD HORSE
MURDER AND MUTILATION OF A WOMAN
HORRIBLE DISCOVERY
THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD
THE DEADLY EMBRACE OF A DEVIL FISH
THAMES MYSTERY
SUICIDE ON A RAILWAY
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8 comments:
Beautiful find! I shall be poring through the 'Orrible manifestations of human depravity with great joy!
A reprint would be great but maybe I'll have to take a chance on a used one on Amazon.
These are a fantastic find, thanks for sharing them. I will have to send them along to my Dad, he hates horror and tells me how such things were not tolerated in simplier times...
You may be inteested to know I have researched a nd written a book about the Illustrated Police Nwes to be published by the British Library in October 2010
Photos of every page - not very slick but perfectly readable. http://www.sendspace.com/file/crs5na
I have this book. Bought it for a pittance at an old book store. Its in mint condition. Awesome stuff!
Hello any chance of sharing the pages again to the book, I know I am a bit late. Thanks awfully if you could.
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