Public Executions: From Ancient Rome to the Present Day

by Nigel Cawthorne

Book by Nigel Cawthorne

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History, Medieval

Hardcover

First published September 28, 2006

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Skallagrimsen]

Public Executions: From Ancient Rome to the Present Day, by Nigel Cawthorne, is a trove of gruesome anecdotes about civilized man's most enduring form of public entertainment: the ritualistic killing of fellow human beings. Including, but not limited to, beating, boiling, burning, crucifixion, drowning, hanging, keel-hauling, necklacing, starvation, stoning, strangulation, being buried alive, devoured by animals, exposed on a gibbet, fried on a gridiron, garroted, guillotined, hammered to death, hanged, drawn and quartered, impaled on a stake, rent asunder, roasted alive, sawn in half, sealed up in a barrel, sewn inside an animal's stomach, shot with arrows, stung to death by insects, tied over the muzzle of a cannon and blown apart, thrown from a height, having powder ignited through bodily orifices, your heart torn out, or your throat slit. (Paraphrased from introduction.) Truly, when it comes to devising horrible, humiliating, and excruciating methods for murdering members of his own species, with the blessing and approval of the state, man's imagination has proved unbounded.

This book made me wonder why we even bothered creating the concept of Hell. Out of frustration that, for all of our sadistic ingenuity, we still haven't found a way to make earthly torments everlasting?

Anyway, a good reference for the morbid and for anyone looking to confirm their misanthropy. Illustrated.

[Trzcionka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nikt nie zaprzeczy, że temat tej książki jest interesujący i przyciągający. W związku z tym, że nie znalazłam zbyt wiele informacji o tej pozycji przed zakupem, brałam ją trochę w ciemno i niestety jestem trochę rozczarowana.
Spodziewałam, że książka będzie mnie encyklopedyczna niż jest. Choć dobrze napisana to jednak skondensowanie informacji nie robi takiej pozycji za dobrze. Sprawę ratuje ogromna ilość ilustracji, te zawsze na plus.
Niestety merytorycznie, z racji na tą zbyt encyklopedyczną formę, robi się momentami sucho i monotonnie, a myśli odpływają gdzieś indziej. Nie da się tej pozycji przeczytać na raz, choć jest krótka. Podzielona jest na rozdziały, które w kolejności chronologicznej opowiadają o sposobach, przebiegu i ofiarach publicznych egzekucji od zarania dziejów do dnia dzisiejszego. Jest rozdział o wieszaniu, ścinaniu, rozczłonkowywaniu, paleniu, aż do najnowszych metod czyli krzesła elektrycznego i podawania trucizny. Niektóre rozdziały są zbyt krótkie (te najbardziej współczesne), a niektóre zbyt długie. Ile można czytać o wieszaniu lub paleniu na stosie, biorąc pod uwagę, że każda taka egzekucja wygląda dość podobnie, prawda?
To niewątpliwie jest konkretne źródło informacji na temat historii egzekucji. Bez dwóch zdań czuć podejście historyczne, bardziej niż socjologiczne, wiec to przede wszystkim gratka dla historyków ( a u mnie z tym średnio).

[ShamSham · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a morbid fascination with such subjects as I do, this book is for YOU! Lots 'o fun facts about all your favorite public execution methods, from the brazen bull to the guillotine.

Flaws of the book: Too Western-centric. British author focuses disproportionately on Britain and France (likely also because historical sources more accessible, of higher quality). Last chapters pretty weak.

[Mariana Antunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book recounting public executions from ancient Roman times to our days. It is amazing to learn that not much has changed when it comes to the motives causing the torture before a certainly dreadful death. Although it is a good book, very well documented, I found it to be a little longer than I could beat and the gore was a bit too much for me.

[Joseph Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good resd

This is one of those books that never gets boring as it advances seamlessly from one event to the next. Notwithstanding the subject covered in the book, I really enjoyed it.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. Given the subject matter no surprise it's pretty graphic, but I did get a bit bored. I want to hear more amazing stories or surprising things, not only stomach churning!

[Joey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply an accounting of execution methods through the ages...names, dates, crimes, punishments, devices, and gruesome particulars. It reads like a senior thesis, but still a fairly fascinating read.

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this at the Sears warehouse. The most random place for this book!

[Morv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Public Executions is almost like a textbook reading of the history of, well, public executions.  The book focuses on the different types of executions, when they were used and when they stopped, or if they stopped, along with where else was using that type of execution.

Is this an interesting book? For me, yes, it is.  I would say I wish it was layed out a bit differently but that doesn't really matter.

Is it dark? Yes.  It is rather dark and shows the depravity that humanity is willing to go to in regards to executions, as well as how executions haven't really changed that much, human's are willing to kill anyone, even in the most grotesque ways.

Is history littered throughout? Of course.  There is no way it could not be in here.  it's well researched, along with how other countries used certain executions that were similar but were slightly different in the execution.

It's a dark read, so clearly this isn't one for people who don't like the grotesque, the macabre, the title tells you exactly what this book is about and it delivers.

[Bonni Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as a morbid fascination, but as someone who has spent years in law enforcement, I found this book fascinating. This book is about the different types of of death penalties that were carried out over the years. I thought the book very informative although I think it kind of shook up the person flying next to me on my last flight.

[Melissa Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good read if you're into history. It's crazy to see all the ways in which people have been put to death in centuries passed, very sad though...

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief look at executions around the world throughout the ages. Bite size bits of information if a little repetitive at times.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, a nasty chronicle of the various ways men have killed each other over the centuries. By the end, I was pretty disgusted with humanity. I need to read something more uplifting next.