The book explores causes of crime, describes crimes themselves, and details the criminals' arrest, trial and fate. It also examines failures on the part of the law and shocking miscarriages of justice. In addition to major case histories, diverse topics such as dueling and computer hacking are presented. The book contains four sections: (1) Crimes Against Individuals (murder, assassination, manslaughter, kidnapping and abduction, defamation); (2) Crimes Against Property (arson, robbery and theft, fraud and forgery, body-snatching, poaching); (3) Crimes Against the State (treason, sedition and conspiracy, piracy, blasphemy, witchcraft); and (4)Crime and Punishment (death, transportation, imprisonment, torture and mutilation, exemplary punishments, justice and human frailty). The book's emphasis is on Britain and the English-speaking world, but it includes cases from other countries when they show different aspects of the crime under discussion. Table, index