This book throws new light on white-collar crime, criminals and criminality in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain. It does so by considering the life of Jesse Varley (1869-1929), who embezzled more than £80,000 from Wolverhampton's Corporation, and for a decade and more enjoyed an ostentatiously extravagant lifestyle.

John Benson is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wolverhampton, UK.

Introduction; Part I: Motives; 1. Predisposition; 2. Ambition; 3. Opportunity; Part II: Methods; 4. Deceit and display; Part III: Retribution; 5. Arrest and prosecution; 6. Punishment and rehabilitation; 7. Recidivism and reconviction; Part IV: Repercussions; 8. Shame, blame and reform; Conclusion