The History of Torture Throughout the Ages

by George Ryley Scott

Individual; The Pleasure Principle in Masochism; The Causes of Wholesale or Mass Torture; The Effects of Torture; Torture Among Savage and Primitive Races; Torture in Ancient Greece and Rome; The Progress of Torture; The Holy Inquisition; Torture in Great Britain and Ireland; The Persecution of the Witches; Torture in China, Japan and India; The Torture of Slaves in the West Indies, Mauritius and the United States of America; The War upon Torture; Some Notorious Torturers; Impaling Methods; Burning at the Stake, Branding, Boiling to Death, the Fire-pan and the Brazen Bull; Squassation, the Rack, the Wheel, the Boot and the Scavenger’s Daughter; Whipping and Beating; Mutilation, Drawing and Quartering, Decapitation, etc.; Burying Alive, Hanging Alive in Chains, Starvation, the “Virgin Mary,” etc.; Torture by Ordeal; Miscellaneous Forms of Torture; Methods of Self-inflicted Torture; Modern Methods of Torture; Forms of Torture of Animals; The Futility of Torture in the Fight Against Criminality; The Evils of Torture as a Form of Punishment; The Psychopathological Element in Torture, and its Treatment; The Abolition of Torture. This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Essays, Reference, True Crime, Science

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eyewatering procession of modes and means of torture throughout world history, written by an author from the 1930s with a surprisingly modern and radical perspective; he deplores animal torture as much as human, and justifiably criticises bullfights, halal/kosher slaughter and circuses as belonging to the past in the same way the stocks, the rack and the scavenger's daughter do. Interspersed with some incredibly evocative primary source material (the depiction of the auto-da-fe of a French priest, of the Piedmont atrocities and of the Holy Inquisition's sex dungeon were grotesquely fascinating), it serves as a reminder that brutal, violent and highly creative torture is, in fact, part of what might be considered normal and expected human behaviour, and that we are fortunate in the West, at least, to live in times when such acts are not condoned by the authorities. A canonical text for those interested in the dark truths of the human psyche; and written in the considered, precise and largely uncensored English of 1930s Great Britain, perhaps the most pleasing era for written English. Plentiful illustrations of people going about their torturous deeds.

[pierlapo quimby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non stuzzicatemi troppo.
Ora dispongo di adeguate conoscenze...

[Dave/Maggie Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply hideous.

A friend of mine smuggled this one into school when I was twelve -- and I think I'm still scarred from reading it. I won't play armchair self-analyst, but I often suspect that reading it had something to do with my eventual drift into human-rights activism.

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi trovo un po' in difficoltà nel dare un voto a questo libro, perché la versione in mio possesso da metà in poi è piena di refusi che penalizzano molto la lettura, rendendola - a mio avviso - poco godevole e fluida.
Detto questo, ho trovato il testo a volte ripetitivo anche se decisamente interessante: non solo la tematica trattata è particolare, ma l'autore ha anche una visione molto moderna del mondo , nonostante abbia scritto questo libro nel 1940. Basti pensare che è contrario alla caccia, a spettacoli con animali, a tecniche di macellazione crudeli e al modo di ingrassare il pollame a scopi di mercato. Tematiche tuttora molto discusse, vero? Peccato che le cose non siano cambiate poi molto.
Degna di nota anche la sua opinione sul sistema penale e le condizioni dei detenuti.

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi trovo un po' in difficoltà nel dare un voto a questo libro, perché la versione in mio possesso da metà in poi è piena di refusi che penalizzano molto la lettura, rendendola - a mio avviso - poco godevole e fluida.
Detto questo, ho trovato il testo a volte ripetitivo anche se decisamente interessante: non solo la tematica trattata è particolare, ma l'autore ha anche una visione molto moderna del mondo , nonostante abbia scritto questo libro nel 1940. Basti pensare che è contrario alla caccia, a spettacoli con animali, a tecniche di macellazione crudeli e al modo di ingrassare il pollame a scopi di mercato. Tematiche tuttora molto discusse, vero? Peccato che le cose non siano cambiate poi molto.
Degna di nota anche la sua opinione sul sistema penale e le condizioni dei detenuti.

[Zahida Zahoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A History of Torture gives a grim overview of how torture has been used throughout history for punishment, control, interrogation and public spectacle. What stayed with me most was the reminder that cruelty is not only carried out by obviously evil individuals, but can become accepted when societies, governments or institutions justify it. It was often disturbing and sometimes quite a dry read. Overall, it shows the darker side of human nature and how easily power, fear and punishment can lead people to do terrible things.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 5 out of 5]

bi’ süredir merak ettiğim, okumak için sabırsızlandığım kitaplardan biriydi. başlayınca da elimden bırakamadım zaten

işkence, işkence biçimleri; bunların bedensel ve psikolojik unsurları, insanların bunu yapma motivasyonu gibi birçok noktada soru işaretlerimin silikleşmesine vesile olan bir okuma oldu

kitap oldukça akıcı ve başlıklandırma açısından başarılıydı

[Massimo Penazzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Approfondita disamina di tutti i più orrendi modi in cui gli uomini, nel corso della storia, sono riusciti a far soffrire altri uomini per i più disparati - e anche futili - motivi. Raccapricciante.

[Alex]

In a set of photos taken by paparazzi Peter was seen carrying this book.

[Der_m · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not 100% sure what I expected of it, but I read it cover to cover. It's historical, but too sparse and anecdotal to be academic. The bookends of the work are that torture is terrible, and its use in society a blemish - in between are mostly just examples. Chronologically, culturally, and then miscellaneously. I'm unsure how much of it had to do with the age or the British-ness of the work, but a lot of the tantalizing descriptions of unusual tortures were unintelligible. On the whole, I thought it was good. I paid $1 for it and considered it well worth that.

[Lindsay Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the fact that this book is about 60 years old, I can't say I've come across a more comprehensive and descriptive account of torture in a historical context. Truly, humans have a horrible and twisted sense of vengeance when it comes to religion and justice. I can't recommend this book for those with weak stomaches, but for the rest of us with weird interests in the this realm, it was a total page turner. I only wish there had been a bit more about pioneers, but overall an amazing read.

[Vanlilith · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Dave AuthorPA]

Excellent book. Strong stomach required.
If you want to learn the true evils we humans are capable of.... read this book.