Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Modernisation of the British Monarchy

Description

'It is worth being shot at to see how much one is loved.' - Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria was attacked an astonishing eight times during her sixty-three year reign. Victoria's would-be assassins succeeded in changing the course of British history; whose penal system, legal system and policing would never be the same again. Taking the queen's mad, marginalized attackers as his starting point for an investigation of the entire era, Paul Thomas Murphy weaves elegantly through all layers of nineteenth century society and culture. A rollicking, riveting history, Shooting Victoria is the most multi-faceted story of Victorian Britain to date.

Paul Thomas Murphy teaches interdisciplinary writing on Victorian topics at the University of Colorado. He is working on several projects relating to the Victorian period.

An entertaining social history... Has as many strands as a Victorian novel, deserves a wide readership. * TLS * Beautifully researched and lucidly written... an entertaining study' * Sunday Times * A gripping, teeming, discursive pleasure. Shining a light on the 19th century and its indestructible queen. * Observer * [A] fascinating book... it is a testament to his talent that these 500 pages left me wanting more' * Daily Express * A rollicking read * The Spectator * Full of curiosity and zest * Mail on Sunday * A rich, rollicking narrative... enormously entertaining' * Scotsman * Written with as much verve and spirit as the youthful queen herself, this fascinating investigation into the attempted assassinations is a superb exploration into 19th century construction of monarchy * BBC History * Part social panorama, part crime thriller, part psychological drama... Superb' -- Robert Morrison.