Fiendish Ingenuity: An Illustrated History of Torture Throughout the Ages

by Michael Joseph Murphy

An illustrated history of torture throughout the ages and up to the present day. The book is illustrated with pictures of torture taken from Samuel Clarke's martyrology of 1651.

164 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2010

Reviews

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly an exhaustive academic endeavour, this short book provides a contemporary spin on a 17th century book from which the illustrations are taken, with a bit of internet research on contemporary uses of torture. It’s a salutary reminder that torture is not a thing of the medieval past, and that contemporary governments often blur the line between judicial punishments and torture, giving rise to the question how can one be justifiable if the other isn’t, considering how thin and subjective the separation is between the two. Not a book I’d return to, but an interesting read.

[Radcliff Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gruesomely fascinating

I thought that I knew a lot about the assorted historic forms of torture from my own research in preparation for writing my book on the history of witchcraft in Leicestershire, and also from studying for my degree, but this book contains a grim record of many more, some of them extraordinarily inventive.

This book is not for the squeamish, but well worth a read if you are interested in social history, the evolution of law and official punishment, or even the darker side of psychology.

[Kali · Rating 2 out of 5]

To call this an "illustrated" history of torture is kind of a misnomer, really. I mean, the pictures are SO tiny... "What is this, a torture history book for ANTS?!?!"

That said, I mean, it does have a nice array of tortures with a decent amount of information about each. It's not a bad book on the subject, by any means, but it's not a great one, either.

[Doghouse Gav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting and informative. There really was some sick stuff going on back then. Horrible to imagine but also a thrilling read.

[christine dennison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking

Good information and description made it a good read....no sprawling on about historical facts that we already know...well at least I do...