Search results for ""Author Amanda Bailey""

The late sixteenth-century penal debt bond, which allowed an unsatisfied creditor to seize the body of his debtor, set in motion a series of precedents that would shape the legal, philosophical, and moral issue of property-in-person in England and America for centuries. Focusing on this historical juncture at which debt litigation was not merely an aspect of society but seemed to engulf it completely, Of Bondage examines a culture that understood money and the body of the borrower as comparable forms of property that impinged on one another at the moment of default. Amanda Bailey shows that the early modern theater, itself dependent on debt bonds, was well positioned to stage the complex ethical issues raised by a system of forfeiture that registered as a bodily event. While plays about debt like The Merchant of Venice and The Custom of the Country did not use the language of political philosophy, they were artistically and financially invested in exploring freedom as a function of possession. By revealing dramatic literature's heretofore unacknowledged contribution to the developing narrative of possessed persons, Amanda Bailey not only deepens our understanding of creditor-debtor relations in the period but also sheds new light on the conceptual conditions for the institutions of indentured servitude and African slavery. Of Bondage is vital not only for students and scholars of English literature but also for those interested in British and colonial legal history, the history of human rights, and the sociology of economics.

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*** THE SMASH HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *** *** THE GENRE-BUSTING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK *** *** A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF YEAR *** *** AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *** *** A TELEGRAPH BEST SUMMER BOOK OF THE YEAR*** 'Her best so far' - MARIAN KEYES 'The queen of tricksy crime' - SUNDAY TIMES 'Another resounding success' - DAILY EXPRESS THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL... True-crime author Amanda Bailey knows all about the notorious Alperton Angels cult. There have been dozens of books and films about the Angels, ever since the night nearly two decades ago, when they attempted to sacrifice a baby they believed to be the Antichrist. With all the cultists now dead - apart from their charismatic leader - it seems like there's nothing new to say about the Angels... until now. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed, and if Amanda can track them down, it will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail. As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger. And the devilish story of the Alperton Angels is far from over... 'An astonishing piece of work' - IAN MOORE 'Janice Hallett is on a roll' - TIMES 'Another cracking mystery from a highly original author' - OBSERVER

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*** THE SMASH HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *** *** THE GENRE-BUSTING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK *** *** A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF YEAR *** *** AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *** *** A TELEGRAPH BEST SUMMER BOOK OF THE YEAR *** 'The queen of tricksy crime' - SUNDAY TIMES 'Her best so far' - MARIAN KEYES 'Another resounding success' - DAILY EXPRESS Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police? Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system. Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail. As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined. And the story of the Alperton Angels is far from over. From the bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code comes a stunning new mystery for fans of Richard Osman and S.J. Bennett. The devil is in the detail...

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*** THE SMASH HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *** *** THE GENRE-BUSTING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK *** *** A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF YEAR *** *** AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *** *** A TELEGRAPH BEST SUMMER BOOK OF THE YEAR *** 'The queen of tricksy crime' - SUNDAY TIMES 'Her best so far' - MARIAN KEYES 'Another resounding success' - DAILY EXPRESS Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police? Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system. Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail. As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined. And the story of the Alperton Angels is far from over. From the bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code comes a stunning new mystery for fans of Richard Osman and S.J. Bennett. The devil is in the detail...

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