Book description
Julian Woodford uncovers the breathtakingly appalling life of Joseph Merceron (1764-1839), gangster and corrupt magistrate, who accumulated enormous wealth while presiding over the creation of the poorest slums in Georgian London.Ruling Spitalfields and Bethnal Green from his base in Brick Lane for half a century, Merceron gave the East End…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Boss of Bethnal Green as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The story of how one unscrupulous person seized control of the evolving institutions of municipal government to line his own pockets might not strike everyone as seat-of-the-pants reading but Julian Woodford’s account of Joseph Merceron is vivid and still relevant today. The long career of this scoundrel is also woven into the larger picture of the times: the ebb and flow of political campaigns; the British reaction to the French Revolution, the effect of the long-running wars against Napoleon, the rapid growth of London, and the scourge of cholera. Stepping into this world is like stepping into a Hogarth print.…
From Lona's list on Regency England beyond balls and bonnets.
If you love The Boss of Bethnal Green...
Aggressor
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
Want books like The Boss of Bethnal Green?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 74 books like The Boss of Bethnal Green.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,212
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like The Boss of Bethnal Green, you might also like...
Pinned
“Rowdy” Randy Cox, a woman staring down the barrel of retirement, is a curmudgeonly blue-collar butch lesbian who has been single for twenty years and is trying to date again.
At the end of a long, exhausting shift, Randy finds her supervisor, Bryant, pinned and near death at the warehouse…
Reddy
This is for those readers who like unusual settings and independent female characters in mid-life.
