Masters of Crime: Fiction's Finest Villains and Their Real-life Inspirations

The real men and women who inspired some of the most infamous villains ever to appear in fiction, including Fagin, Professor Moriarty, Raffles, and others Bringing together the stories of many real-life criminals, agitators, and activists, this history shows how they were woven into fiction by some of Britain's greatest writers, including Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle. Containing prison escapes, sensational trials, daring art thefts, vicious attacks, Chinese gangs, cross-dressing pimps, roaring boys, policemen, astronomers, and whores, this book explores both the real underworld of British crime history, and its fictional counterparts. It will delight fans of true crime and crime fiction alike.