A unique historical reference guide complete with 110 stunning photographs and etchings of the instruments themselves.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Torture is associated most closely with the absolute monarchies of history and the totalitarian and dictatorial regimes of the more recent past and present day. The classical world employed it widely though by no means indiscriminately, while in the West it doesn't seem to have been used systematically until the medieval era. After the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, western countries began banning it - though actual practice didn't necessarily keep pace with official legislation. Even in the last few years, such democratic countries as Denmark, the UK, and the United States have at one time or another, it is claimed, strayed over the boundary between justifiably close and actually abusive questioning. The Instruments of Torture looks at the techniques and tools used in torture, ranging from the earliest known historical instances of the practice right up to the present time and covering practices used throughout the world. The different methods of inflicting pain are grouped by type (stretching, for instance, having been used particularly in the European Renaissance as well as being still widespread in the Middle East), showing the grim parallels in torture as used in different cultures and contexts. (7 1/2 x 9 1/2, 192 pages, b&w photos, etchings)
About the Author
Michael Kerrigan is the author of Who Lies Where: A Guide to Famous Graves and Greece and the Mediterranean (part of the BBC Ancient Civilizations series), and is a columnist, book reviewer, and feature writer for publications including Scotsman and the Times Literary Supplement. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
With a turn of the screw, this review is for you,
By
This review is from: The Instruments of Torture (Paperback)
With The Instruments of Torture, Mr.Kerrigan has written a superbly informative and gruesome journey into the hellish world of torture. He illustrates his book with nightmarish visions of a world gone mad! The author's text is both well researched and entertaining. This book ranks with Innes's History of Torture and Farrington's History of Punishment and Torture. Only John Swain's masterpiece The Pleasures of the Torture Chamber ranks higher!
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real page turner,
By Lance Link (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Instruments of Torture (Paperback)
An action-packed trip through the tools and devices that make torture memorable, without getting bogged down in the "moral" issues involved (with the exception of the socially manditory epilogue entitled "Torture Bad"). Exacting and well-illustrated examples of torture instruments and techniques grouped by type and design.Almost as great as Danniel P. Mannix's masterwork, A History of Torture. While this book is likely more factually accurate, the author (as with most authors) cannot live up to Mannix's fine verbal form. This, however, is still a keeper.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
NO PAIN NO GAIN,
By ROMEO "ROMEO'S DAD" (WINDY CITY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Instruments of Torture (Paperback)
VERY COOL BOOK ON THE ART OF TORTURE, SADIST AND OTHER FOLKS INTERESTED IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY WILL FIND THIS BOOK INFORMATIVE
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Inside This Book
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
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- Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother by James A. Connor on page 375, and page 383
- Extreme Encounters: How It Feels to Be Drowned in Quicksand, Shredded by Piranhas, Swept Up in a Tornado, and Dozens of Other Unpleasant Experiences... by Greg Emmanuel on page 89
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