Fellow in History at Edinburgh University, where he taught from 1968. Born in Dublin of a distinguished literary family, Owen Dudley Edwards has earned a growing reputation as scholar, author and journalist. Owen Dudley Edwards FRSE, FRHistS, FSA (Scot.) was initially led to his subjects by something he holds in common with them he too is an Irish Catholic contributing to higher learning in Edinburgh. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publishers.īritish Library Cataloguing in Publication DataĪ catalogue record for this book is available from the British The right of Owen Dudley Edwards to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patent Act 1988.Īll rights reserved. Second edition published in 1993 by Mercat Press and reprinted in 2010 by Birlinn Ltdīirlinn Ltd, West Newington House, 10 Newington Road, Read moreĭrawn from life, in the Lock-up House on the day before his execution, by his own consent.įirst edition published by Polygon Books in 1980
At the end of their dance of death, the shadow of the gallows looms. Burke and Hare, poor Irish immigrants, became the central actors in a vortex of desperation and greed, of scientific rivalry, corruption and love. A new final chapter examines evidence that has come to light in recent years and reflects on the extraordinary power the story still has for present-day readers. We delve into their past, their personalities and the circumstances that led them to resort to murder as a money-making scheme. In this third edition of his acclaimed book, Owen Dudley Edwards lays bare the unvarnished, human story behind the infamous pair and vividly reconstructs the drama of their trial. So begins the criminal career of the most notorious double act in the history of serial murder.
After this encouraging outcome, Burke and Hare decide to suffocate another sickly tenant. Instead of burying the body, the landlord, William Hare, and his friend William Burke fill the coffin with bark and sell the corpse to Dr Robert Knox, an ambitious anatomist. At Christmastide, 1827, in a boarding house in Edinburgh's West Port, an old army pensioner dies of natural causes.
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