Sketches in Bedlam; or Characteristic Traits of Insanity, as Displayed in the Cases of One Hundred and Forty Patients of Both Sexes, now, or Recently Confined in New Bethlem, Including Margaret Nicholson, James Hatfield, Patrick Walsh, Bannister Truelock, and Many Other Extraordinary Maniacs, who have been Transferred from Old Bethlem. To the Above are Added a Succinct History of the Establishment, Its Rules, Regulations, Forms of Admission, Treatment of Patients, &c. &c. By a Constant Observer.
[Wright, Edward]
Published by London: Sherwood, Jones and Co., 1823
Used
Hardcover
From
Mark Westwood Books PBFA, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
AbeBooks Seller since January 27, 2000
Association Member:
This specific copy is no longer available. Here are our closest matches for Sketches in Bedlam; or Characteristic Traits of Insanity, as Displayed in the Cases of One Hundred and Forty Patients of Both Sexes, now, or Recently Confined in New Bethlem, Including Margaret Nicholson, James Hatfield, Patrick Walsh, Bannister Truelock, and Many Other Extraordinary Maniacs, who have been Transferred from Old Bethlem. To the Above are Added a Succinct History of the Establishment, Its Rules, Regulations, Forms of Admission, Treatment of Patients, &c. &c. By a Constant Observer. by [Wright, Edward].
About this Item
Description:
Octavo: xl, 312pp., including half-title. Light ownership inscription on title page, otherwise good internally. Half-calf, rebacked with cloth. Seller Inventory # DM138
Bibliographic Details
Title: Sketches in Bedlam; or Characteristic Traits...
Publisher: London: Sherwood, Jones and Co.
Publication Date: 1823
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Sketches in Bedlam; or Characteristic Traits of Insanity, as Displayed in the Cases of One Hundred and Forty Patients of Both Sexes, now, or Recently Confined in New Bethlem, Including Margaret Nicholson, James Hatfield, Patrick Walsh, Bannister Truelock, and Many Other Extraordinary Maniacs, who have been Transferred from Old Bethlem. To the Above are Added a Succinct History of the Establishment, Its Rules, Regulations, Forms of Admission, Treatment of Patients, &c. &c. By a Constant Observer
Published by
London: Sherwood, Jones & Co., 1823, 1823
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Adrian Harrington Ltd, PBFA, ABA, ILAB, Royal Tunbridge Wells, KENT, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
[Psychiatry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xl; 312. Attractively bound in period-style half speckled calf with twin red and green morocco labels lettered in gilt, raised bands, marbled covered sides, deckled edges uncut. Contents with a few minor marks, half title repaired and re-margined, binding as new. A very good, tall copy in an attractive recent leather binding. Attributed to Edward Wright, apothecary to Bedlam hospital from 1819 to 1830, when he was dismissed for drunkenness. An account of notable cases and patients at the psychiatric facility, including Margaret Nicholson & James Hadfield, the would-be assassins of King George III, both incarcerated as 'criminal lunatics'. Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London, whose nickname is synonymous with confusion, uproar and hysteria, has inspired many horror books, films, and TV series, most notably 'Bedlam', a 1946 film starring Boris Karloff. Initially "Bedlam" was an informal name but from approximately the Jacobean era the word entered everyday speech to signify a state of madness, chaos, and the irrational nature of the world. Although the hospital became a modern psychiatric facility, historically it was representative of the worst excesses of asylums in the era of lunacy reform. Seller Inventory # 66000
Quantity: 1 available
Sketches in Bedlam; or Characteristic Traits of Insanity, as Displayed in the Cases of One Hundred and Forty Patients of Both Sexes, now, or Recently Confined in New Bethlem, Including Margaret Nicholson, James Hatfield, Patrick Walsh, Bannister Truelock, and Many Other Extraordinary Maniacs, who have been Transferred from Old Bethlem. To the Above are Added a Succinct History of the Establishment, Its Rules, Regulations, Forms of Admission, Treatment of Patients, &c. &c. By a Constant Observer.
Published by
London: Sherwood, Jones, 1823., 1823
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Scientia Books, ABAA ILAB, Arlington, MA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. xl, 312 pp. 19th c. 3/4-leather & marbled boards. Leather rubbed along joints and corners of covers. Text browned. Very Good. First Edition. "Although sometimes attributed to Haslam its author was more likely . . . Edward Wright . . ., apothecary to the hospital from 1819 to 1830 when he was dismissed for drunkenness. . ., or one of his friends, for his devotion to the work and humanity to the patients is described in glowing terms patently intended to distinguish his outlook from Haslam's, his predecessor but one. . . . There follow accounts of 113 male and 28 female inmates including the after histories of Margaret Nicholson and James Hadfield both confined as 'criminal lunatics' for attempting the life of George III. Most descriptions of patients are stereotyped and coarse. . ." (Hunter & Macalpine, Three Hundred Years of Psychiatry 1535-1860, pp. 757-58.) "The author . . . was, or had been very recently, on the staff of the hospital. The tone of the book is coarse, the disclosure of individual cases unethical, so that it was small wonder that the Governors were outraged" (Leigh, Historical Development of British Psychiatry, pp. 134-35. "An apology for Bethlem Hospital, written in glowing terms and praising the staff, particularly apothecary Edward Wright and the two hospital physicians, for their humane and attentive treatment of the hospital's inmates. The anonymous author no doubt intended to improve Bethlem's reputation, which had taken a deserved beating at the hands of the 1815-16 parliamentary investigation eight years before" (Norman 1952). Bookplate of William Eugene Lewis. There is a pencil signature of a former owner on the title page. The signature looks like "Julius Chambers". Chambers was an "activist against psychiatric abuse. . . . In 1872, he returned to work and undertook a journalistic investigation of Bloomingdale Asylum, having himself committed with the help of some of his friends and the city editor. His intent was to obtain information about alleged abuse of inmates. After ten days, his collaborators on the project had him released. When articles and accounts of the experience were published in the Tribune, it led to the release of twelve patients who were not mentally ill, a reorganization of the staff and administration of the institution and, eventually, to a change in the lunacy laws. This later led to the publication of the book A Mad World and Its People(1876). From this time onward, Chambers was frequently invited to speak on the rights of the mentally ill and the need for proper facilities for their accommodation, care and treatment" (Wikipedia article on Julius Chambers). Seller Inventory # 15780
Quantity: 2 available