In March 2012, eccentric antiques dealer Raymond Scott was found dead in his prison cell, apparently after having cut his own throat. It was the final tragic act in one of the most bizarre criminal cases ever held in England. The story begins in 1998 after a rare copy of a Shakespeare First Folio was stolen from Durham University just 10 miles from where Scott lived. For a decade the authorities had been stumped as to what had happened to it until Raymond Scott strolled into the famous Folger Library in Washington DC to have it authenticated for sale. Printed in 1623, the First Folio is widely regarded as the most important non-secular printed book in the English language and one in pristine condition (like the Durham copy had been when stolen) could be worth millions. The flamboyantly-attired Scott had a taste for Ferraris and Lamborghinis yet had spent most of his time living with his aged mother, Hannah, on social security payments in a modest home in Washington, Tyne on Wear. Scott, 55 when he died, wanted the money from selling the First Folio to live the high life with his beautiful 21-year-old Cuban dancer girlfriend he met during frequent trips to Havana. In one of the many strange twists, he claimed he obtained the book from a friend in Cuba who was a former bodyguard to President Fidel Castro. Scott, who never took the stand, was eventually jailed for eight years for handling stolen goods but was cleared of stealing the First Folio. For 18 months, from just after his arrest to his death, Scott conducted a series of interviews with reporter Mike Kelly during which never heard before evidence was revealed including the naming of an alleged second suspect. Even after Scott was jailed they kept in touch via frequent correspondence. Shakespeare & Love reveals the true story behind the theft of the Durham Shakespeare First Folio and uncovers for the first time the man dubbed by the press as 'Bling Lear'.

The shocking first-hand account of one man’s remarkable fight for freedom; now an award-winning motion picture.

‘Why had I not died in my young years – before God had given me children to love and live for? What unhappiness and suffering and sorrow it would have prevented. I sighed for liberty; but the bondsman's chain was round me, and could not be shaken off.’

1841: Solomon Northup is a successful violinist when he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Taken from his family in New York State – with no hope of ever seeing them again – and forced to work on the cotton plantations in the Deep South, he spends the next twelve years in captivity until his eventual escape in 1853.

First published in 1853, this extraordinary true story proved to be a powerful voice in the debate over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. It is a true-life testament of one man’s courage and conviction in the face of unfathomable injustice and brutality: its influence on the course of American history cannot be overstated.

During the last few decades, corrupt financial practices were increasingly being monitored in many countries around the globe. The past few decades have been eventful for these issues. Today, tackling money laundering and terrorism financing are considered key issues in developed and developing countries alike. Eradication of money laundering and terrorism financing through a holistic approach of awareness, prevention, and enforcement is a current need. It has enabled the birth of new regulatory regimes based on strict compliance, robust processes, and technology. One of the many problems with this is the lack of general awareness about all these issues among various stakeholders including researchers and practitioners. Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in Global Financial Systems deepens the discourse about money laundering, terrorism financing, and risk management in a modern-day environment. It provides a fascinating and invaluable guide for understanding the theory, practice, and cases of these topics. Split into two sections, the first being money laundering and terrorism financing and the second being financial governance and risk management, the chapters create comprehensive knowledge on these acts of crime in the financial industry by defining the crimes themselves, the many challenges and impacts, and potential solutions. This book is ideal for government officials, financial professionals, policymakers, academicians, business professionals, managers, IT specialists, researchers, and students.