Cesare Lombroso - Criminal Woman, the Prostitute, and the Normal Woman

When we began working on this project in the early 1990s, fewer than half a dozen people worldwide had close familiarity with Lombrosos major works, which had become nearly inaccessible; and yet nearly everyone familiar with Lombrosos name confidently dismissed him as a figure of scientific fun. Thus our initial task was to persuade people that new translations of his criminological works would prove worthwhile. Peter Becker of the European University Institute in Florence, Piers Beirne of the University of Southern Maine, and Frances M. Heidensohn of Goldsmiths College, University of London, immediately understood the value of our project and spent long hours explaining it to others. Without them, this book might have never seen publication. Frances Heidensohn also contributed valuable material to the introduction on Lombrosos influence on British criminology in the 1960s and 1970s. Bernard Cohen, Simon Cole, Steven Hughes, Dario Melossi, and Graeme Newman similarly encouraged us, endorsing our odd project vis--vis unbelieving others. Once we found him, Raphael Allen, our editor at Duke University Press, quickly grasped the significance of Lombrosos work and its relevance for a variety of audiences. His faith in our concept and our scholarship, and his old-fashioned vision of what an editor should be and do, sustained ussometimes when we werent even aware of his efforts on our behalf. There is still an ideal editor in the world, and his name is Raphael.

Tamar Pitch, professor of sociology of law at the University of Camerino, illuminated obscurities in Lombrosos writings that no dictionary could penetrate. We very much appreciate her agreeing to serve as our formal advisor on matters of the Italian language. We are similarly grateful to Maria Grazia Rossilli, sociological consultant to the European Union, for helping informally with problematic passages of the text. Paul Arpaia of Baruch College, organizer of the Italy section of the H-Net listserv, helped with one of our most difficult translation dilemmas by broadcasting our request for an English equivalent of fusche. Others who contributed to this project include Massimo Bacigalupo, Nancy Egan, Joe Farara, Vita Carlo Fedeli, Marina Graziosi, Randall Grometstein, Edward Hanlon, Linda Kramer, Bonnie Nelson, Dr. Larry Sullivan, Steve Turner, and Daniel Mark Vyleta. Fernando Azevedo of the Graduate Center at City College of New York reproduced Lombrosos images.

The Bogliasco Foundation of New York and its Liguria Study Center for the Arts and Humanities provided fellowship support to Nicole Rafter for part of this project, as well as delightful quarters on Italys northern coast in which to write.

According to Lombroso, women, being naturally weak, need male support. Although we are unaware of gender debilities, we are nonetheless immensely grateful to Robert Hahn and James Cohen for the many ways in which they came to our aid during the preparation of this book.