Autobiography, A Collection Of The Most Instructive And Amusing Lives Ever Published - Softcover

Vidocq

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461431939 ISBN 13: 9780461431933

Publisher: HardPress, 1828

Synopsis

"Autobiography, A Collection Of The Most Instructive And Amusing Lives Ever Published" by Vidocq. This volume presents Vidocq's Memoirs, blending biography, criminology, and social history as it chronicles the underworld of early 19th-century Paris through the eyes of the famed reformer-turned-detective. The text lays out a methodical taxonomy of criminals—cambrioleurs (house-breakers), nourrisseurs (accomplices who premeditate crimes), cambrioleurs la flan, detourneurs (misers of small valuables), and many other archetypes—interweaving vivid anecdotes (such as Adele D’Escars and Capdeville) with reflections on policing, punishment, and reform. Vidocq argues that punishment often beguiles further crime and advocates prison and police reforms, transparency, and humane treatment. Interludes on his experiences as head of the Sūreté, his surveillance philosophy, and critiques of 19th-century legal practices give this work both a thrilling realism and a moral inquiry into justice, power, and social order. The Sequel commentary adds contextual appraisal of Vidocq’s impact on crime and reform.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 1828
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461431939
• ISBN 13: 9780461431933
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 306