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CHAMBERS, PAUL: : BEDLAM: LONDON'S HOSPITAL FOR THE MAD

UK.HERSHAM,SURREY.IAN ALLAN PUBLISHING LT.,2009.

ISBN 9780711033870.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright, crisp,clean,matt,contemporary 17thC sepia historical reproductions illustrated front panel of dw/dj,with white+red lettering,b/w reproduction illus and white lettering to rear panel; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents solid,bright,tight,clean - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,original,plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers. UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2-288pp [paginated] includes blank verso of title page,a dedication, author's note,a prologue,Pts 1-4 comprising 5,5,9,and 3 chapters respectively,16pp of 17th & 18thC colour and b/w line illus reproductions in 1 block,between pp128/9,a bibliography,end notes and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+ title pages,contents list/table with acknowledgements to it's reverse,and Pts separator pages. Bethlem Hospital is the oldest mental institution in the world,but to many it is famous only as 'Bedlam',a chaotic madhouse which brutalised it's patients.Although for much of Bedlam's history such abuse was rare,during the dynastic control of the Monro family - between 1728 and 1855 - a brutal medical programme was implemented,giving Bedlam an unsavoury reputation as one of Europe's most notorious psychiatric hospitals. Using new and detailed research,historian Dr. Paul Chambers brings together a coherent overview of the hospital's 800-year history - from Bethlem's well-intended beginnings in Bishopsgate to its final disgrace and reform in Southwark.Focusing on the 'Munro era' - and structured around a fascinating account of the Monro dynasty - Chambers eplores key elements of the hospital's history. Revealed are fascinating details of its ambivalent relationship with London and Londoners,the life and times of the hospital's more infamous patients: political dissenters, religious maniacs,murderers and female transvestites and finally the rise of a powerful reform movement which forced the government to take the issue of Bedlam seriously. Sensitively wrtten,'Bedlam' is a compelling exploration of an institution that continues to fascinate today,and the author's new research ensures this story of Bedlam is original and builds upon the complex history of the hospital with fresh and intriguing material. His balanced approach sets the gore,depravity and madness against a touching,compelling and sometimes comic story,which raises crucial questions about our own attitudes towards mental health. Please contact seller,for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,that stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of any inexpensive book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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