ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the profusion and the recurrent themes incorporated in them, memoirs by London detectives. An exploration of working-class autobiographies and memoirs of the late nineteenth century and the first few decades of the twentieth century in Britain reveal that, relative to other occupational groups, detectives were more inclined to write and, moreover, managed to publish accounts of their working lives. The chapter argues that the special approach and image, perceptible in the memoirs, offers additional evidence of the motivation of their authors to produce memoirs and the attractiveness of such literature to publishers. It explores relevant aspects of the cultural environment in Britain, the special circumstances of the memoirists and the work context of detectives. The chapter analyses additional factors in the shared sentiments and values expressed in the memoirs. It presents the European Social Science History Conference entitled 'The Work Histories and Self-image of British Detectives during the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries.
