EXECUTION A Guide to the Ultimate Penalty

Softcover. 2nd Edn. SIGNED. First published as 'The Book of Execution'. A gruesomely fascinating account of methods of judicial execution from around the world and through the ages, and includes such hair-raising categories as death by cannibalism, being sewn into an animal's belly and a thousand cuts. In his own darkly humorous style, the author describes the instruments used and their effectiveness, and reveals the macabre origins of familiar phrases such as 'gone west' or 'drawn a blank', as well as the jargon of the underworld. From the preparation of the victim to the disposal of the body, this book answers all the questions you are ever likely to ask, and some you would never want to imagine. Illus., Appendices + Select Bibliog. 288pp. 8vo. softcover. With tipped-in label INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Vg+