Books by Douglas Starr
Douglas Starr is Professor Emeritus of Science Journalism at Boston University. His first book, Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce, received wide critical acclaim and was turned into a series by PBS. His second book, The Killer of Little Shepherds, is about the French serial killer Vacher and the birth of modern forensic science. His writings on science, medicine and public health have appeared in, among others, The New Republic and The LA Times, and on NPR.
The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science
by Douglas Starr
The Vacher case took place from 1893 to 1898, and most of these books appeared right around that time. It’s amazing how much they reflect not only the science of the times, but also the era’s state of mind. I recently reread Dracula. (It kept me up nights, just as it did when I first read it at age 15.) What strikes me is how much that book reflected society’s nightmare of what the criminal was, and how closely it adhered to then-current theories about the criminal mind.
The best books on The Pioneers of Criminology recommended by Douglas Starr
Interviews with Douglas Starr
The best books on The Pioneers of Criminology, recommended by Douglas Starr
Boston University professor delves into the origins of crime science, using literary and historical works to explain early forensics, phrenology and criminal psychology
Interviews where books by Douglas Starr were recommended
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1
The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science
by Douglas Starr -
2
Murder and the Making of English CSI
by Ian Burney & Neil Pemberton -
3
The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial
by Maggie Nelson -
4
Killer in the Shadows: The Monstrous Crimes of Robert Napper
by Laurence Alison & Marie Eyre -
5
Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification
by Simon A. Cole
The best books on Forensic Science, recommended by Jim Fraser
The best books on Forensic Science, recommended by Jim Fraser
Jim Fraser, veteran forensic investigator and author of Murder Under the Microscope, selects five of the best books about forensic science. Forget what you think you know about the subject from crime fiction and television dramas, and bring a healthy scepticism: this line of work can be as much a craft as a science.
