Invisible Men: The Secret Lives of Police Constables in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, 1900-1939 - Softcover

Klein, Joanne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846312361 ISBN 13: 9781846312366

Publisher: Liverpool University Press, 2010

Synopsis

TThis book provides a comprehensive study of English police constables walking the beat in the early part of the twentieth century. Joanne Klein has mined a rich seam of archival evidence to present a fascinating insight into the everyday lives of these working-class men. The book explores how constables influenced law enforcement and looks at the changing nature of policing during this period.

About this title

About the Author:

Joanne Klein is Associate Professor of History at Boise State University, Boise, Idaho.

Review:

"Invisible Men ably achieves its goal of exposing the experiences and concerns of police constables in this period. Anyone interested in the history of urban policing should consider it an attractive addition to their book shelves."--HSLC Transactions

"... this is a lively and remarkable book. If one of Klein's goals was to break down the public's view of the police (perhaps held as much now as then) as a "monolithic entity" (110), she has succeeded magnificently by offering a complex portrait of how everyday policing was experienced as a mixture of boredom, excitement, violence, humor, tragedy, and, at times, absurdity. In a strikingly original chapter, the extensive institutional supervision to which constables were subjected even allows Klein to provide insight into police officers'' domestic lives. An effective combination of detailed research and clear writing, Invisible Men joins the ranks of the must-read books about British policing."--Journal of British Studies

"This work is an important contribution to an under researched period in the history of English policing and to the history of working-class culture in general ... The book is well structured, allowing the reader to follow the careers of the constables from entry to the force, through the experience of learning the ropes; their experience of discipline; the camaraderie, conflict, and cooperation that created a body of working men aware of their common interest; their relations to the public; their domestic lives; and ultimately to their final career trajectories."--The Historian

About this edition

• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1846312361
• ISBN 13: 9781846312366
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 334