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The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers: Volume One, A–D: Volume One A-D
The first volume featuring the most infamous killers throughout history—from Afghanistan’s Abdullah Shah to Kazakh cannibal Nikolai Dzhumagaliev.
The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers is the most comprehensive set of its kind in the history of true crime publishing. Written and compiled by Susan Hall, the four-volume set has more than 1600 entries of male and female serial killers from around the world.
Defined by the FBI as a person who murders three or more people over a period of time with a hiatus of weeks or months between murders, serial killers have walked among us from the dawn of time as these books will demonstrate. While the entries to these volumes will continue to grow—the FBI estimates that there are at least fifty serial killers operating in the United States at any given time— The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers is as complete as possible through the end of 2017.
The set begins with Volume One, Letters A–D. The entries include Ted Bundy, the Candyman Dean Corll, Angel of Death killer Donald Harvey, the ABC Killer, and the Bodies in the Barrels Murders. You will find these killers and approximately five-hundred others in this first book in the series of The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers .
The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers is the most comprehensive set of its kind in the history of true crime publishing. Written and compiled by Susan Hall, the four-volume set has more than 1600 entries of male and female serial killers from around the world.
Defined by the FBI as a person who murders three or more people over a period of time with a hiatus of weeks or months between murders, serial killers have walked among us from the dawn of time as these books will demonstrate. While the entries to these volumes will continue to grow—the FBI estimates that there are at least fifty serial killers operating in the United States at any given time— The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers is as complete as possible through the end of 2017.
The set begins with Volume One, Letters A–D. The entries include Ted Bundy, the Candyman Dean Corll, Angel of Death killer Donald Harvey, the ABC Killer, and the Bodies in the Barrels Murders. You will find these killers and approximately five-hundred others in this first book in the series of The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers .
468 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2020
I feel bad not rating this 5 stars, but the truth is, Ms. Hall could really have used an editor. I caught several factual errors (Derrick Todd lee died of natural causes in prison, which Hall would have learned with thirty seconds on Wikipedia) and the quality of the individual eentries was uneven; some were excellent, some amateurish, and a few had so little detail they might as well not have been included at all. The "black satin killer" for instance; the barest facts about him, and precious few of those; no explanation as to why he's called the "black satin killer."
The formatting is a bit eccentric as well. Instead of following the lead of most encyclopedia-type books, where people are listed alphabetically by last name, Hall chose to list by nickname; so instead of "Kemper, Edmund" (which wouldn't have appeared in this volume anyway) he's under "co-ed Killer." TThis isn't strictly incorrect, I don't think, but it is odd.
Also, Hall's criteria for being a serial killer seem fluid; some mob hitmen are included as well as some who murdered (evidently) strictly out of personal beefs, although on multiple occasions.
For all its flaws, this was a very good book, full of things even I, a dedicated true-crime-o-phile, didn't know. I will definitely be reading the next volumes.
The formatting is a bit eccentric as well. Instead of following the lead of most encyclopedia-type books, where people are listed alphabetically by last name, Hall chose to list by nickname; so instead of "Kemper, Edmund" (which wouldn't have appeared in this volume anyway) he's under "co-ed Killer." TThis isn't strictly incorrect, I don't think, but it is odd.
Also, Hall's criteria for being a serial killer seem fluid; some mob hitmen are included as well as some who murdered (evidently) strictly out of personal beefs, although on multiple occasions.
For all its flaws, this was a very good book, full of things even I, a dedicated true-crime-o-phile, didn't know. I will definitely be reading the next volumes.
November 23, 2020
Chilling read!
Hall pens a detailed true crime title in THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS: Volume One A-E. I read volume 2 first, so I requested that I read volume 1 as well. This is a book that gives information on serial killers that fit within the alphabet A through E. It's a book about the killers that may have been heard about, but others that maybe no one but law enforcement and the victim's families knew about. Hall quotes retired FBI Agent, John Douglas (someone who I am familiar with as I've read many of his true crime books) who states, "...criminals are more 'made' than 'born', which means that somewhere along the line, someone who provided a profound negative influence could have provided one instead .... what we need more of is love ..." The book is set up like an encyclopedia, which it is, and gives what details it can, and as it claims in the preface of the book, it is unfinished. Where it is about serial killers, it is also about the victims. It's a read I won't be forgetting. I plan on reading the entire set of the encyclopedia, especially those that have yet to be released. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.
Hall pens a detailed true crime title in THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS: Volume One A-E. I read volume 2 first, so I requested that I read volume 1 as well. This is a book that gives information on serial killers that fit within the alphabet A through E. It's a book about the killers that may have been heard about, but others that maybe no one but law enforcement and the victim's families knew about. Hall quotes retired FBI Agent, John Douglas (someone who I am familiar with as I've read many of his true crime books) who states, "...criminals are more 'made' than 'born', which means that somewhere along the line, someone who provided a profound negative influence could have provided one instead .... what we need more of is love ..." The book is set up like an encyclopedia, which it is, and gives what details it can, and as it claims in the preface of the book, it is unfinished. Where it is about serial killers, it is also about the victims. It's a read I won't be forgetting. I plan on reading the entire set of the encyclopedia, especially those that have yet to be released. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.
December 25, 2020
Good Source for details about killers with last names A-D.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews