As consumer culture grew and shops proliferated, shoplifting took off in England, despite being made a hanging offence in 1699. Was it a crime of the poor for survival or a manifestation of consumer desire? And what about Jane Austen's aunt, accused of shoplifting in 1799? This entertaing study provides quantitative analysis beside engaging real-life stories to bring to life the world of crime in Georgian England. From the Economic History Society series "People, Markets, Goods: Economies and Societies in History." The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. 2018. Paper. NEW. $25.00