The first comprehensive overview of attempts to eradicate prostitution from English society, including discussion of early attempts at reform and prevention through to the campaigns of the social purists.

Introduction; Part 1 From sinners to Cinderellas; Chapter 1 Reform institutions; Chapter 2 Daily life inside reform institutions; Part 2 Prevention is better than cure; Chapter 3 Moral education and protective legislation; Chapter 4 'Wayward and troublesome girls'; Part 3 The making of the mentally deficient; Chapter 5 The background; Chapter 6 Care rather than cure; Part 4 Purifying the nation; Chapter 7 Suppressing prostitution; Chapter 8 Men and morality; conclusion Conclusion: from fin de siècleto the millennium;

Paula Bartley is senior lecturer in History at the University of Wolverhampton.