This exciting new book in the Longman Criminology Series provides a critical introduction to the principal theories of crime and punishment from the late eighteenth century to the present day. The approach addresses the social and political context from which each theory emerged, as well as its place within the intellectual development of the discipline. Readers are offered guidance on a close reading of the original texts in the area, many of which are by now seen as classics. Both academic and popular ideas and images of crime and punishment are discussed.