Overview

Sex for Sale in Scotland examines the various formal and informal methods that were used to police female prostitution in Edinburgh and Glasgow between 1900 and 1939 and explores how these policies influenced women's lives. The book uses a rich combination of police, probation, magistrates', poor law and voluntary organisations' records to demonstrate how these organisations combined to establish a 'penal-welfare' approach towards regulating prostitution in Scotland. By mapping the geography of prostitution, the book argues that prostitution was not forced into the outskirts of society, either physically or socially. The book examines both indoor and outdoor prostitution and the relationships that developed among the wide range of people who profited from commercial sex. Particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of the women involved in prostitution, highlighting the poverty, exploitation and abuse they faced, but also the ways in which they negotiated these dangers. This social history of prostitution maps how the organisation, policing and experiences of prostitution developed in an ever-changing urban landscape during a period of extraordinary developments in technology and entertainment, alongside the wider socio-economic changes brought about by the First World War.

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9781474400008

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Reviews

"Louise Settle's study of Scottish prostitution in the early twentieth century is a robust social history that not only outlines the formal and informal regulation of prostitution in this period but which illuminates as much as the historical record allows, the complex socio-economic realities and self-determination of women who sold sex (and got caught!).--Nina Attwood ""Journal of Scottish Historical Studies"" 'This is a fine and innovative first book by a young historian that breaks ground on an area of Edinburgh history that has a great deal to tell us about the changing social fabric of the city as the extraordinary twentieth century ran its course.' --James Hamilton ""The Journal for Edinburgh History"" Settle's detailed and well researched book provides a welcome addition to our knowledge of this long standing and complex social issue...A collective biography approach to previously hidden life stories provides much needed insight into the women's lives. We see their reasons for working in prostitution, its impact and how this was often compounded by the efforts of those determined to prevent it. We also hear the women's loud resistance screaming through. --Anni Donaldson ""Scottish Review of Books"""

Louise Settle's study of Scottish prostitution in the early twentieth century is a robust social history that not only outlines the formal and informal regulation of prostitution in this period but which illuminates as much as the historical record allows, the complex socio-economic realities and self-determination of women who sold sex (and got caught!).--Nina Attwood Journal of Scottish Historical Studies Settle's detailed and well researched book provides a welcome addition to our knowledge of this long standing and complex social issue...A collective biography approach to previously hidden life stories provides much needed insight into the women's lives. We see their reasons for working in prostitution, its impact and how this was often compounded by the efforts of those determined to prevent it. We also hear the women's loud resistance screaming through. --Anni Donaldson Scottish Review of Books 'This is a fine and innovative first book by a young historian that breaks ground on an area of Edinburgh history that has a great deal to tell us about the changing social fabric of the city as the extraordinary twentieth century ran its course.' --James Hamilton The Journal for Edinburgh History

Louise Settle's study of Scottish prostitution in the early twentieth century is a robust social history that not only outlines the formal and informal regulation of prostitution in this period but which illuminates as much as the historical record allows, the complex socio-economic realities and self-determination of women who sold sex (and got caught!).--Nina Attwood Journal of Scottish Historical Studies 'This is a fine and innovative first book by a young historian that breaks ground on an area of Edinburgh history that has a great deal to tell us about the changing social fabric of the city as the extraordinary twentieth century ran its course.' --James Hamilton The Journal for Edinburgh History Settle's detailed and well researched book provides a welcome addition to our knowledge of this long standing and complex social issue...A collective biography approach to previously hidden life stories provides much needed insight into the women's lives. We see their reasons for working in prostitution, its impact and how this was often compounded by the efforts of those determined to prevent it. We also hear the women's loud resistance screaming through. --Anni Donaldson Scottish Review of Books

Author Information

Louise Settle is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh. In 2012 she received the Jeremiah Dalziel Prize in British History for her doctoral research. She is a contributing author to various journals including Twentieth Century British History, The Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, and History and Policy.

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