Crime and Punishment is one of the most important novels of the nineteenth century. It is the story of a murder committed on principle, of a killer who wishes to set himself outside and above society. It is marked by Dostoevsky's own harrowing experience in penal servitude, and yet contains moments of wild humour. This new edition of the authoritative and readable Coulson translation, comes with a challenging new introduction and notes which bring out many of the novel's most important - and difficult - aspects.