The incorruptible flesh: bodily mutation and mortification in religion and folklore

set Turner's ideas in their contemporary context, while the rather Whiggish separation of his various areas of interest militates against a proper understanding of his intellectual development. The book is particularly weak on medical history, of which its author virtually disavows any firsthand knowledge: even its account of Turner's religious and social ideas, however, is disappointingly pedestrian and old-fashioned. Its intended audience is a puzzle. At one point, the author professes the work to be aimed at "the non-specialist reader", but it is difficult to see how many of these are likely to gain access to it at the very high price at which it has been published. On the other hand, scholars resigned to paying such prices for scholarly monographs might reasonably expect better value for their money than they are offered here.