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The A-Z of Punishment and Torture
It is a difficult task to conveniently, or comfortably, arrange a catalogue of cruelty to document the full extent of man’s inhumanity to man.
But author, journalist and researcher, Irene Thompson, has accomplished just that in her bibliography of barbarity, The A-Z of Punishment and Torture.
Despite the often graphic nature of content, Thompson skilfully sweetens the bitter pill with her trade-mark humour and homely folklore, while pulling no punches with her accounts of the hell-on-earth life became for countless millions of victims.
The events her book describes in stark facts and disturbing descriptions are, though, less easy to comprehend than to imagine. It’s hard to believe that our fellow humans could inflict such pitiless savagery on others, and we shudder at the callous indifference – or even pleasure – of the mobs who witnessed their atrocities.
Unpalatable though most are, we need to know the truth of these appalling practices as a reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink in the name of perceived justice and morality, not only to prevent us forgetting them but to identify their continued use today. Punishment by public stoning, beheading, flogging and secret torture, for instance, is current.
In this voyage through the centuries, gruesome scenes from Medieval times sit side by side with incidents from contemporary life (sometimes humorous, sometimes sinister), while the inclusion of true-life stories turns bland statistics into heart-felt human interest.
This is an important book, both fascinating and frightening, which vividly documents many of history’s most shameful moments. Thompson succeeds in enabling her reader to feel the pain of the tortured, the despair of the condemned, the misery of the wretches left to rot in prison. It is sobering and shocking, and a powerful record of a bloodstained past we should never forget and a present that too often echoes the screams of the damned.
Publisher's As it says on the BeWrite website we try to give value for money and we have again with this book, if you care to take a look...
But author, journalist and researcher, Irene Thompson, has accomplished just that in her bibliography of barbarity, The A-Z of Punishment and Torture.
Despite the often graphic nature of content, Thompson skilfully sweetens the bitter pill with her trade-mark humour and homely folklore, while pulling no punches with her accounts of the hell-on-earth life became for countless millions of victims.
The events her book describes in stark facts and disturbing descriptions are, though, less easy to comprehend than to imagine. It’s hard to believe that our fellow humans could inflict such pitiless savagery on others, and we shudder at the callous indifference – or even pleasure – of the mobs who witnessed their atrocities.
Unpalatable though most are, we need to know the truth of these appalling practices as a reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink in the name of perceived justice and morality, not only to prevent us forgetting them but to identify their continued use today. Punishment by public stoning, beheading, flogging and secret torture, for instance, is current.
In this voyage through the centuries, gruesome scenes from Medieval times sit side by side with incidents from contemporary life (sometimes humorous, sometimes sinister), while the inclusion of true-life stories turns bland statistics into heart-felt human interest.
This is an important book, both fascinating and frightening, which vividly documents many of history’s most shameful moments. Thompson succeeds in enabling her reader to feel the pain of the tortured, the despair of the condemned, the misery of the wretches left to rot in prison. It is sobering and shocking, and a powerful record of a bloodstained past we should never forget and a present that too often echoes the screams of the damned.
Publisher's As it says on the BeWrite website we try to give value for money and we have again with this book, if you care to take a look...
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2008
83 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 9, 2010
Great reference, quick read and humorously written.
September 30, 2018
Good read for short free time
I read that this is a 'Gorey' book and well, in my opinion it isnt. It just gives good details on what actually happened. Also through the a-z it gives detailed enough to look into singular events and read more on specific events and people.
It is a very good read and the short reading gives you a chance to read a little of you have 5 minutes or indeed read more if you wish to.
Very informative but it's a shame the digital version doesn't give the pictures whereas the hardback version does.
I read that this is a 'Gorey' book and well, in my opinion it isnt. It just gives good details on what actually happened. Also through the a-z it gives detailed enough to look into singular events and read more on specific events and people.
It is a very good read and the short reading gives you a chance to read a little of you have 5 minutes or indeed read more if you wish to.
Very informative but it's a shame the digital version doesn't give the pictures whereas the hardback version does.
May 18, 2019
A bit too simplistic and anecdotal to be of much use as a reference book for the purposes of writing fantasy books, which was the reason for reading. Not a rigorously scholarly work, as numerous assertions about the cultures in which certain forms of punishment were used (e.g. the Romans) are plainly incorrect or are popular myths. The writing style of this short book is more bullet point than narrative (the author is a tabloid journalist), and the attempts at humour fall flat. A shame, as this could have been a gruesomely entertaining read.
January 20, 2019
Vaguely Sourced.
Entertaining and great for my purposes. I’m using it as a book of writing prompts. But I really wish supporting data had been linked to specific claims.
Entertaining and great for my purposes. I’m using it as a book of writing prompts. But I really wish supporting data had been linked to specific claims.
April 7, 2019
How sick humans are.
July 3, 2021
Repetitive and error riddled
A lot of repetition of various methods as well as reaching pretty far for certain letters. The grammar and spelling errors were also very distracting.
A lot of repetition of various methods as well as reaching pretty far for certain letters. The grammar and spelling errors were also very distracting.
December 8, 2016
Fantastically weird. When I was a boy, I read a lot of ominous nonfiction like "The Werewolf Encyclopedia" and "Book of Witches" that did not sound anything like non-fiction, but were elaborate collections of grim true-crime serial killer stories interspersed with legends and folklore. This book reminded me of them. I got through it in one sitting. It was descriptive without being ghoulish, thorough without fixating. A touch less technical than I would have liked. It was obviously published with the more sensitive reader in mind, so it was written with an attachment that didn't quite achieve the academic and fell far short of the clinical which, in my ever humble, should be the tone one uses when writing about torture and execution.
At least as telling as what the author detailed was what she took very deliberate pains to avoid, pun only partially intended.
At least as telling as what the author detailed was what she took very deliberate pains to avoid, pun only partially intended.
May 11, 2013
Interesting, but lacking in citations. While there is a bibliography at the end, the organization of the book does not allow the reader to easily check sources. Some statistics were used, and they really needed to be cited. Aside from that, it was a fun read!
July 18, 2014
I really liked the book. It is interesting and informative, but also gory and brutal. I wouldn't recommend it to sensitive people though.
October 4, 2014
As far as books on torture go, this one is quite lighthearted. I particularly enjoyed the section on amputation.
January 6, 2016
Very informative book, highlighted a lot of really interesting equipment to save for later. Some spots dragged a little but most of it had good detail and interesting background information.
May 11, 2016
Good intro to the grim aspects of crime and torture
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews