Black Sheep

First edition, first impression.  286pp, with some black and white illustrations. Red cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering on the spine.  Illustrated endpapers.   8vo.  Cloth a little rubbed on edges, corners and spine ends and generally a little dull all over but clean, square and neat. Hint of toning to text block edges. Internally neat. clean, bright and tight.  In its original glossy, illustrated dust wrapper, rubbed at edges, lightly shelf worn with a little light chipping at spine ends, not price clipped.

Rakes, gamblers, cheats, cowards, frauds spendthrifts – every rogue who has disgraced a family name has earnt the title ‘black sheep’.  Murder, rape, sodomy, extortion, all are among the crimes committed by sons of well-born families.  With great skill, Christopher Simon Sykes not only details some of the these startling stories from British history but also exposes the underlying factors and the short-comings of family life that may have been a part of their cause.