This work investigates the evolution of corruption and the shifting standards of public trust within the British state and its colonial empire between 1600 and 1850. Mark Knights, a professor of history, utilizes a vast array of archival materials, political pamphlets, and legal records to analyze how the definition of corruption transitioned from a focus on personal morality to a systemic concern regarding institutional integrity. The text argues that the development of modern administrative practices was inextricably linked to the public's changing perceptions of political accountability and the necessity of transparency in governance.

Scholars recognize this text as a rigorous examination of the cultural and political history of corruption in the British context. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the depth of the archival research presented by the author.