They Hanged My Saintly Billy

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A real historical figure, the British surgeon Dr. William Palmer was accused in 1856 of murdering 14 people by means of poison. The Dr. Kevorkian trial of the 19th century, with a bit of O.J. Simpson mixed in for good measure, the scandal entranced nearly the entire population of the British Isles. Everyone had an opinion on the case - including esteemed poet and historical fabulist Robert Graves. They Hanged My Saintly Billy is true crime as only a true literary master could write it, as Graves recounts the story with a fictional bent.

Reviews

A must for true-crime addicts and recommended to those interested in period novels as well. Kirkus Review

Author Bio

ROBERT GRAVES (1895-1985) was a preeminent English poet, novelist, critic, translator, and scholar of classical mythology. He served in World War I--an experience recounted in his 1929 autobiography, Good-Bye to All That--and later became the first professor of English literature at the University of Cairo. Best remembered today for his acclaimed historical novels about the Roman emperor Claudius, I, Claudius and Claudius the God, his other books include The White Goddess, The Hebrew Myths, and Collected Poems.