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

Eugène François Vidocq

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461621339 ISBN 13: 9780461621334

Publisher: HardPress

Synopsis

Autobiography, A Collection Of The Most Instructive And Amusing Lives Ever Published by Eugène François Vidocq. This volume presents Vidocq's firsthand memoirs spanning his criminal exploits, escape from the galleys, and eventual role as the head of the French police secret service. The excerpts cover his Lyons and Arras episodes; his disguises (as an Austrian, merchant, and other characters); his recruitment into the police under M. Henry and the creation of the Sureté; his captures of famous criminals such as Fossard, Watrin, Delzéve, Coco-Lacour; his uneasy alliances with informers; his views on police methods and societal reform; the life in the Bicêtre and La Force; and the eventual pardon. The narrative weaves action with sharp commentary on the criminal underworld, corruption, and the evolution of modern policing in 19th-century Paris. The writing is vivid, episodic, and self-reflexive, offering a rare insider's perspective on crime, punishment, and reform.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461621339
• ISBN 13: 9780461621334
• Binding: Paperback