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The Canting Crew: London's Criminal Underworld, 1550-1700
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226 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 18, 2021
An overview of crime, punishment, and the criminal underworld in early modern London. 'The Canting Crew' is easy to read, if a bit repetitive, and provides some interesting information and leads to follow. It is short and arranged in a logical manner, covering the social and economic causes of crime (i.e. in McMullan's view poverty), through the specific types of crime, to punishment and the networks supporting criminals.
Unfortunately, it is a bit of a blunt instrument. The majority of the references are either from secondary sources or from ballads, libels and other contemporary literary sources, with almost no attempt to analyse the authors' purposes in writing. Things have been taken at face value: the puritan Philip Stubbes is quoted as if he were a high-end modern-day journalist, rather than a writer of polemic, for example, and the same goes for the likes of Robert Greene. Contemporary attitudes and, more importantly, fears are not addressed so little thought is given to perceptions colouring realities. Furthermore, this gives a sense that the author doesn't really 'get' the period. McMullan uses anachronistic terms such as 'policing' and 'state', which are not really appropriate and serve to cloud rather than illuminate the issue, and instances of community justice are instead often taken as those of corruption. When these problems are added to various typos - for example, the East India Company is said to be controlling London finance in the sixteenth century (p. 74), when its charter wasn't granted until 1600 - it makes one a little bit reticent about trusting the book fully.
McMullan is still alive and kicking - 'The Canting Crew' was written when he was still an ECR - and the structure and some of the content is good; the topic is still infinitely interesting. This book, therefore, would be a prime candidate for going to a second, much amended edition.
Unfortunately, it is a bit of a blunt instrument. The majority of the references are either from secondary sources or from ballads, libels and other contemporary literary sources, with almost no attempt to analyse the authors' purposes in writing. Things have been taken at face value: the puritan Philip Stubbes is quoted as if he were a high-end modern-day journalist, rather than a writer of polemic, for example, and the same goes for the likes of Robert Greene. Contemporary attitudes and, more importantly, fears are not addressed so little thought is given to perceptions colouring realities. Furthermore, this gives a sense that the author doesn't really 'get' the period. McMullan uses anachronistic terms such as 'policing' and 'state', which are not really appropriate and serve to cloud rather than illuminate the issue, and instances of community justice are instead often taken as those of corruption. When these problems are added to various typos - for example, the East India Company is said to be controlling London finance in the sixteenth century (p. 74), when its charter wasn't granted until 1600 - it makes one a little bit reticent about trusting the book fully.
McMullan is still alive and kicking - 'The Canting Crew' was written when he was still an ECR - and the structure and some of the content is good; the topic is still infinitely interesting. This book, therefore, would be a prime candidate for going to a second, much amended edition.
March 5, 2009
The writing is similar to that of Herbert Asbury. The author excels in describing the neighborhoods and their occupants. Unlike Asbury, there are references.
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July 1, 2017Read parts of , didn't have time to read it all
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews