Customer Reviews

Rack, Rope and Red-Hot Pincers: A History of Torture and Its Instruments

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This book discusses the history of torture, from the medieval to 1850. Roughly half of its material is about England (mainly the Tower of London), and the other half miscellaneous areas of continental Europe. It covers the well known instruments, such as the rack, iron maiden, and guillotine. There are also a lot of rare ones, such as the Duke of Exeter's invention. There are even muzzles for nagging wives, and topless public bull whipping of female criminals. Some wild stuff!

I found this book to be lacking in detail and scope it concentrates on Europe mainly UK. It doesn't even come close to potraying the ingenuity or dark imgination of humanity. If I were to sum it up in one word "boring" Next!

Another easy to read, quickly digested, and entertaining volume chock full of torment, gore, and woe from Geoffrey Abbott.

Abbott's Rack, Rope & Red-Hot Pincers promises 'A history of torture and it's instruments.' This it delivers on. However, like the coarse cloth used in 'drinking torture' many of the entries are hard to swallow. In places, the author copies long passages in archaic English that's so hard to understand, reading them is a torture in and of itself.
Still, this book does offer plenty of insight into the delightful depravity of the human mind. So if your stomach is strong enough, if your mind is warped enough, if your imagination is flexible enough, then step into Abbott's dungeon.