The Book of Assassins

by George Fetherling

The compelling, tragic and often bizarre life stories of history's famous and infamous assassins, now collected in one comprehensive, easy-to-use volume.

The names are well-known, but how much do you know about the inner lives of John Hinckley Jr.,  who shot Ronald Reagan in a misguided attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, or Mark David Chapman, who, after shooting John Lennon, sat down on the sidewalk to continue reading The Catcher in the Rye ? And what about the world's not-so-famous assassins? Find out what happened when Carlito Dimahilig attacked Imelda Marcos with a bolo knife (and how one of her many famous pairs of shoes came into play!), or why Max Hödel could be considered one of the least successful assassins in history.

With breadth of study and a keen eye for detail, George Fetherling has compiled a fascinating and very readable compendium -- the first of its kind -- of more than 200 biographies of assassins from all periods and countries, for the scholar and general reader alike. Fetherling also provides an overview of the history of assassination, outlines the five psychological types of assassins and gives a run-down of the most useful literature in the field.

Ideal for students, historians, history buffs, psychologists and readers interested in biography and true crime, this book is a must have window into the lives of those who have drastically shaped the history of our world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2001

About the author

Douglas George Fetherling (born January 1, 1949) is a Canadian writer, poet, novelist, biographer, artist, and cultural commentator. One of the most prolific figures in Canadian letters, he has written or edited more than fifty books.
He previously published under the name Douglas Fetherling until 1999, and thereafter under the name George Fetherling, switching to his middle name to honor his father George, after recovering from life-saving surgery for the same medical condition that had killed his father.
One of his most popular works is Travels by Night: A Memoir, which recreates leading personalities and events in the fabled Canadian cultural renaissance of 1965–75.
Fetherling is also a visual artist. He lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

There certainly have been an overabundance of nutbuckets on this planet, at least according to this book. Representing a wide net of successful and not-so-successful assassins over many centuries, author George Fetherling provides mini-bios for the wacked, the upset, and the power-hungry.

Although the book is set up in alphabetical order of each assassin's last name, it would have been more interesting to view the same murderers in the categories that Fetherling states as the main assassin groups.

TYPE 1 ASSASSINS
Most numerous in the ancient ages, these individuals were in it to take power from those who ruled. Death by poison and death by betrayal were normal. Think the Roman Emperors and the Byzantines.

TYPE 2 ASSASSINS
Mercenary killers. These were/are the professionals who sell their services (Carlos The Jackal, the Cold War).

TYPE 3 ASSASSINS
Ideological/religious fanatics. More common in Europe than the New World, these are the ones who believe they hear a calling or simply don't agree with someone else's beliefs.

TYPE 4 ASSASSINS
Celebrity hunters. These are the nuts who go after famous people simply because they are famous.

TYPE 5 ASSASSINS
Those who pursue personal revenge for perceived wrongs.

There is a lot of information in this book, which required me to be on tap with Wikipedia and/or going back and forth between the alphabet (as some assassinations were by groups). Interesting concept, but it could have been more without the dictionary concept. The author stays fairly objective unless it's the Lincoln and Kennedy killings, then the passion flows.

Anyway, too many nutbuckets.

Book Season = Autumn (perfect for moody ones)

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this reference work focuses not on famous people who fall victim to assassination but rather on the assassins themselves. Or at least that’s the goal. The entries are somewhat uneven, sometimes providing run-of-the-mill descriptions of victims or crimes rather than biographies of criminals. In general the book is better when it plays by the rules, though occasionally even the good entries go bad (such as when the author joins the society of people who claim to have definitively figured out Lee Harvey Oswald and then fail to convince). I also think I would have defined terms slightly differently, probably focusing more on politically-motivated homicide and excluding celebrity stalkers from the set. Still, the text does a reasonably good job of covering a vast subject and bringing a new perspective – not to mention some fascinating historical tidbits – to the endeavor.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research and presentation was pretty impressive. It was likely not a small feat to put this book together. I also enjoyed that the author chose to include a diverse group of subjects. Pretty much every continent is represented here.

Since it is laid out like an encyclopedia, reading can be cumbersome. Rather than group assassins together (by type of assassin or even by who was assassinated) you have to refer back to where you read the person's name before. This is especially challenging for assassins who were involved in the same plot (like Lincoln's assassination) or even separate attempts on the same person (such as Hitler or Queen Victoria).

Overall, a lot of great information! Just don't plan to read it conventionally.

[Logan Maire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very helpful to me for my school work and assignment. George Fetherling used intensive research as well as speculation in order to show the reader why the assassins did what they did. The tone was very melancholy and lacked any emotion, but I believe that this was useful in helping me read because I did not get distracted by His feelings and was instead able to focus on my own. Certain characters within the book had more information than others but that was because certain people had more research and information available to the public. I believe that Fetherling could have been a little more emotional but It was indeed very helpful.

[Nicholas Maulucci · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting. I read it over the period of several months as the list of assassins gets monotonous.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, this book is very interesting. It's given me a glimpse into the minds (or lack thereof) of the various types of assassin. I would have liked it better if the assassins were not in alphabetical order, but the assassinations and assassination attempts were put in chronological order. While it would change the focus of the book to the events instead of the assassin's mind, I would still find it a bit more entertaining.

[Alexander]

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