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Dark London: A Journey Through the City's Mysterious and Macabre Underworld
From dark crimes of passion to shocking tales of grave robbing, gruesome murders, dens of iniquity, Victorian séances and haunted houses – not far beneath London’s everyday bustle and glitter there has long been a fascinatingly rich underworld of criminality, superstition, scandal and macabre debauchery.
Explore over 100 tales of this morbid history, case-by-case, with social historian Dr Drew Gray, a specialist in the history of crime and punishment.
Who were the London Burkers, for example, whose ringleader confessed to stealing and selling nearly 1,000 dead bodies to keen 1830s anatomists? What was 'The Whitechapel Tragedy' of 1875, and who was its unfortunate headless victim? Why was there so much public panic about crime in Victorian London, and how did the city’s notoriously rough prisons, courts, workhouses and houses of correction deal with its perpetrators?
Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
Explore over 100 tales of this morbid history, case-by-case, with social historian Dr Drew Gray, a specialist in the history of crime and punishment.
Who were the London Burkers, for example, whose ringleader confessed to stealing and selling nearly 1,000 dead bodies to keen 1830s anatomists? What was 'The Whitechapel Tragedy' of 1875, and who was its unfortunate headless victim? Why was there so much public panic about crime in Victorian London, and how did the city’s notoriously rough prisons, courts, workhouses and houses of correction deal with its perpetrators?
Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 25, 2025
Real Rating: 4.75* of five
The Publisher Says: Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
From dark crimes of passion to shocking tales of grave robbing, gruesome murders, dens of iniquity, Victorian séances, and haunted houses—not far beneath London’s everyday bustle and glitter there has long been a fascinatingly rich underworld of criminality, superstition, scandal, and macabre debauchery.
In Dark London, social historian Dr Drew Gray, a specialist in the history of crime and punishment, delves into the city’s grim yet compelling past, uncovering the people and places that shaped its darker identity.
Across more than 100 real-life cases and curiosities, he explores how London became both the heart of a growing empire and a stage for vice, greed, and human fallibility.
Highlights include:
The London Burkers, a notorious gang of resurrectionists whose leader confessed to stealing and selling nearly 1,000 bodies to London’s medical schools in the 1830s.
The Whitechapel Murders of 1888, still the world’s longest running serial murder mystery.
The prisons of Newgate and Pentonville, where shifting attitudes towards justice revealed the tension between punishment, reform, and moral control.
The legend of Spring-heeled Jack, the terrifying, leaping figure who caused panic across London’s streets.
The Great Stink of 1858, when London’s polluted Thames brought the city to a standstill and forced a revolution in sanitation and public health.
Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: London's been a world city, most of the time, since the Romans lost Colchester in 60CE and moved their colonial government there. Lots of scope for serious weirdness of the supernatural stuff sort, and viciousness (or just misguided trying to help) of the human sort. Both leave separate kinds of stains on the memory of society, locally as well as internationally.
Author Drew Gray's biography as provided by Frances Lincoln Ltd:
That's one helluva CV. The gent knows how to present the facts and images in tandem, all illustrated books from him to date, so why would this one fail? Spoiler: It doesn't.
The history of crime, the historical context of punishment, the social context of these dark patches of London's history aren't exhaustively explored in this handsome gift book. I felt the illustrations were well-chosen and -presented; but sometimes pulled well above their weight in explication of societal details. I can't give full five stars because I was niggled by this, despite this being the book's literal purpose for being an illustrated overview.
We all have a well-loved ghoul somewhere on our gifting list. Someone who really enjoys the frisson of crime and punishment, who wants that extra thrill of knowing what humans are capable of...and this is the book for them. It's also very much a book for your Londonphile/Anglophile giftee. I think you, faithful reader, might like it for your own coffee table.
Here, look at some of the more than a hundred images:
contents
murder
punishment
spooky stuff
humanitarian harms done
A very nice gifting idea for Yule...especially suitable for the Goth nibling/grandchild.
The Publisher Says: Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
From dark crimes of passion to shocking tales of grave robbing, gruesome murders, dens of iniquity, Victorian séances, and haunted houses—not far beneath London’s everyday bustle and glitter there has long been a fascinatingly rich underworld of criminality, superstition, scandal, and macabre debauchery.
In Dark London, social historian Dr Drew Gray, a specialist in the history of crime and punishment, delves into the city’s grim yet compelling past, uncovering the people and places that shaped its darker identity.
Across more than 100 real-life cases and curiosities, he explores how London became both the heart of a growing empire and a stage for vice, greed, and human fallibility.
Highlights include:
The London Burkers, a notorious gang of resurrectionists whose leader confessed to stealing and selling nearly 1,000 bodies to London’s medical schools in the 1830s.
The Whitechapel Murders of 1888, still the world’s longest running serial murder mystery.
The prisons of Newgate and Pentonville, where shifting attitudes towards justice revealed the tension between punishment, reform, and moral control.
The legend of Spring-heeled Jack, the terrifying, leaping figure who caused panic across London’s streets.
The Great Stink of 1858, when London’s polluted Thames brought the city to a standstill and forced a revolution in sanitation and public health.
Dark London brings together the history of the city’s seamier side, picking out the most scandalous, curious and bizarre aspects of London’s shadowy and fascinating underbelly.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: London's been a world city, most of the time, since the Romans lost Colchester in 60CE and moved their colonial government there. Lots of scope for serious weirdness of the supernatural stuff sort, and viciousness (or just misguided trying to help) of the human sort. Both leave separate kinds of stains on the memory of society, locally as well as internationally.
Author Drew Gray's biography as provided by Frances Lincoln Ltd:
Dr. Drew Gray is a social historian of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who specialises in the history of crime and punishment. Drew is Head of Subject for Culture (Humanities, Media, & Performance) at the University of Northampton and teaches modules on both the History and Criminology programmes. His previous works include Murder Maps: Crime Scenes Revisited; Phrenology to Fingerprint 1811-1911 and London's Shadows: The Dark Side of the Victorian City.
That's one helluva CV. The gent knows how to present the facts and images in tandem, all illustrated books from him to date, so why would this one fail? Spoiler: It doesn't.
The history of crime, the historical context of punishment, the social context of these dark patches of London's history aren't exhaustively explored in this handsome gift book. I felt the illustrations were well-chosen and -presented; but sometimes pulled well above their weight in explication of societal details. I can't give full five stars because I was niggled by this, despite this being the book's literal purpose for being an illustrated overview.
We all have a well-loved ghoul somewhere on our gifting list. Someone who really enjoys the frisson of crime and punishment, who wants that extra thrill of knowing what humans are capable of...and this is the book for them. It's also very much a book for your Londonphile/Anglophile giftee. I think you, faithful reader, might like it for your own coffee table.
Here, look at some of the more than a hundred images:
contents
murder
punishment
spooky stuff
humanitarian harms done
A very nice gifting idea for Yule...especially suitable for the Goth nibling/grandchild.
July 18, 2025
Dark London is ideal for those who love history and especially history of crime. It is divided in four sections, each focusing on one topic (crime, death/ghosts, vices, disasters). It covers the period from the mid-1700s to the beginning of WW1, so from George III to George V's reign.
This book, through the recount of various episodes about crime and such, offers a window into the reality of London. In the time frame portrayed here, London grew even more in population after the industrial revolution. A lot of people moved from the countryside to live in city, looking for work, hoping to improve their conditions. And as any big town, it was ripe with criminals who were punished in different ways as the time went by and for some crimes today we wouldn't consider as such.
There were a lot of photos from archives and it was cool to see how the illustrators and journalists from that time portrayed news and which language they used. Some of those were absurd, some others were sad and tragic.
The news were witness of a time where there was a need for change and for bills to protect workers, especially kids and women, and people's rights in general.
This was an excursus into an important period of evolution, development, change and we see that even things have changed from the XVIII to the XX's century pre-war, some things will never change.
Thanks to the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
This book, through the recount of various episodes about crime and such, offers a window into the reality of London. In the time frame portrayed here, London grew even more in population after the industrial revolution. A lot of people moved from the countryside to live in city, looking for work, hoping to improve their conditions. And as any big town, it was ripe with criminals who were punished in different ways as the time went by and for some crimes today we wouldn't consider as such.
There were a lot of photos from archives and it was cool to see how the illustrators and journalists from that time portrayed news and which language they used. Some of those were absurd, some others were sad and tragic.
The news were witness of a time where there was a need for change and for bills to protect workers, especially kids and women, and people's rights in general.
This was an excursus into an important period of evolution, development, change and we see that even things have changed from the XVIII to the XX's century pre-war, some things will never change.
Thanks to the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
September 10, 2025
I received this beautiful hardback book from the publisher and it is an aesthetic delight, and looks beautiful on my Gothic black bookshelf surrounded by Tarot cards and crystal skulls. I enjoyed reading all about London's gruesome, occult and criminal history through the centuries, and while I had heard some of the stories before, there were some new ones for me to explore. I also liked the pictures included in the book, from Victorian archive photographs, to prints of original artwork, posters and paintings.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews