"Its incredible popularity and Ainsworth's ranking as one of the premier novelists of the period argue the need for Jack Sheppard to be in print. Without reading it, we have a necessarily distorted view of crime literature, the historical novel, popular fiction–and, indeed, the Victorian novel as a whole. This edition astutely fills in the context of the novel: its reworking of the 18th-century true-crime tradition, its notoriety as an emblem of a criminal (il)literacy, its extended life through popular theatrical adaptations, and the ensuing controversy over its possible influence. This edition will help students and general readers to understand why Ainsworth was so successful in his historical moment." – Simon Joyce, College of William and Mary
"This is a first-rate edition, with a highly informative introduction that focuses on the issue of 'carcerality' (imprisonment), and the relationship between Ainsworth's novel, Scott's version of the Historical Novel, and the 1830s subgenre known as the Newgate Novel. The appendices also give modern readers excerpts from J.B. Buckstone's dramatic adaptation, Cruikshank's original illustrations, contemporary critical responses and reviews, and even some of the 18th-century documents that served as Ainsworth's sources. Altogether, the editors have done their work well, giving us a readable text and a plethora of paratextual material to help us understand the novel as the early Victorians might have done." – Philip V. Allingham, Lakehead University
