Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A former Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London and author of numerous books on torture and the death penalty, Abbott offers a front row seat to more than 80 bungled executions in his latest volume (originally published by Summersdale in 2002), which comes complete with illustrations, famous last words and a crash course in modes of execution. The grisly tales range from botched decapitations in the mid-1500s to messy electrocutions in the late 20th century. Readers with strong stomachs should be able to get past the gory detail of these stories to root out the morbidly comedic tone Abbott often employs when relating famous last words, such as the flirty admonishments that Mary, Queen of Scots, gave to her executioners, or Sir Thomas More's demand that the guillotine cut off his head but not clip his beard. Such anecdotes show how the condemned maintained their dignity in the face of death. Though not for the faint of heart-or for readers who may feel that the death penalty deserves a more serious consideration-this book offers ghastly trivia and a good chill.
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From Booklist
Abbott's wide-ranging compendium of untoward happenings during executions throughout history is worthwhile just for the engrossing vignettes it relates, and its generous glossary of terms related to the hangman's craft makes it a convenient reference work as well. Its first part, "Methods of Torture and Execution," lays a fine foundation for the vignettes, communicating such pertinent information as the specifics of being hanged, drawn, and quartered, and the operational ins and outs of the guillotine and the Scottish maiden. Tales of individual executions include the familiar, such as Sir Thomas More's, with his famous assertion that his tormentors had the right to behead him but no right to harm his beard; and the obscure, such as wife-murderer Henry Thompson's, which he prefaced by blithely jumping off a chair to show how his hanging would proceed. Mere reveling in executions would be unseemly, so Abbott mentions their ostensible merits--deterrence, etc.--but really, what's more fun, gruesome anecdotes or pious apologetics? Mike Tribby
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Product Details

    * Hardcover: 240 pages
    * Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2004)
    * Language: English
    * ISBN-10: 0312325630
    * ISBN-13: 978-0312325633
    * Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
    * Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)