IN SPANISH PRISONS Persecution & Punishment 1478-1878

Hardback. For 300 years The Inquisition was the most powerful and deadly force in Spain. Thousands were condemned and executed and we can only guess at the number tortured. Although some exaggeration has crept into the popular history of The Inquisition, the simple historical truth is enough to give us pause and reason to reflect. It was created to eradicate heresy in Spain. It should be remembered that at the time spiritual and temporal powers were closely allied (pope and king) and all believed that uniformity was necessary and desired. Heresy was everywhere treated not only as an attack on the Church but as treason to the State. The Spanish Inquisition was an affair of state as well as an ecclesiastical court. It was a court of torture and death run by the Church in the name of God, but sanctioned and supported by the State. The author devotes much of his book to separating the fact from the legend of the Inquisition, but he does not stop his narrative there. Unfortunately, Spain had been slow in the progress of prison reform and Griffiths traces Spain's almost unwilling advancement towards a modern penal system. 260pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in f. dw.