Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses the impact of financial crime upon British society which are new on account of bringing together different disciplinary perspectives on financial crime. With its focus on financial crime as large-scale illegality that occurs in the world of finance and financial institutions often referenced as business fraud the narrative now offered is an innovative study of the relationships between business, society and law. Centrally the book shows how the way that financial crime impacted upon Victorian society is essential for gaining true appreciation of the fight against fraud in twenty-first-century Britain. These Victorian business crime trials are presented as a vital source of insight into the problem of financial crime in the twenty-first century. Their exposure here is achieved through an interdisciplinary analysis of them, drawing on literature and methodologies from criminology, history and law.