The life of Richard Palmer better known as Dick Turpin, the notorious highwayman and robber

Published in 1839 by Thomas White, this biography of Richard Turpin arrived during the peak of the Victorian fascination with the 'Newgate Novel' and criminal biography. Henry Downes Miles compiled this account to capitalize on the public's enduring obsession with the legendary highwayman, who had been executed over a century earlier in 1739. The text serves as a quintessential example of penny blood literature, a genre of cheap, sensationalist fiction and non-fiction that became immensely popular among the working classes in Britain during the early 19th century.

The volume reflects the romanticized and often moralizing tone common to historical accounts of highwaymen in the 1830s. Henry Downes Miles was a prolific writer of the era known for his work in journalism and popular history, and his approach here prioritizes narrative drama to maintain reader engagement. While the book presents itself as a factual biography, it is deeply rooted in the folklore and myths that had already begun to obscure the reality of Turpin's life, fitting the stylistic conventions of the era by prioritizing entertainment value alongside cautionary moral themes.