Whigs And Hunters: The Origin Of The Black Act
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Jacket: No dust jacket - paperback. Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner.
A landmark work of British social history, Whigs and Hunters chronicles the brutal enactment of the Black Act of 1723, one of the most sweeping and savage pieces of criminal legislation in English history. E.P. Thompson uncovers the fierce class struggle between the Whig aristocracy and the rural poor — hunters, foresters, and commoners — who resisted the enclosure of their traditional lands and rights. With forensic precision, Thompson argues that the law itself was wielded as a weapon of political power, used by the ruling elite to suppress resistance and consolidate control over England's forests and game. Authoritative yet deeply humane in tone, the book presents a devastating critique of how justice and legality can be shaped by the interests of the powerful, drawing on meticulous archival research. A foundational text for students of history, law, and political theory, it remains one of the most compelling analyses of 18th-century English society ever written.
Author: E.P. Thompson
Format: Paperback
Published: 1985, Penguin
Genre: British & Irish history
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Jacket: No dust jacket - paperback. Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner.
A landmark work of British social history, Whigs and Hunters chronicles the brutal enactment of the Black Act of 1723, one of the most sweeping and savage pieces of criminal legislation in English history. E.P. Thompson uncovers the fierce class struggle between the Whig aristocracy and the rural poor — hunters, foresters, and commoners — who resisted the enclosure of their traditional lands and rights. With forensic precision, Thompson argues that the law itself was wielded as a weapon of political power, used by the ruling elite to suppress resistance and consolidate control over England's forests and game. Authoritative yet deeply humane in tone, the book presents a devastating critique of how justice and legality can be shaped by the interests of the powerful, drawing on meticulous archival research. A foundational text for students of history, law, and political theory, it remains one of the most compelling analyses of 18th-century English society ever written.