I know, I know. It's not exactly your typical sponge ball routine book
The Book
A History of Torture by George Ryley Scott
Cost & Where to Buy
As far as I know, this is now out of print, but still available (used) on Amazon UK. Mine is the 1995 Senate edition, but it was originally published in 1940. I've had it for over 10yrs and can't remember the price I paid.
Review
The rear cover says:
However civilised it appears, almost every human society in recorded history has used pain to exert power over its members. The justifications vary. For the Aztecs torture was part of the religious ritual, for the witch-hunters of Christian Europe it was a form of punishment. Even in our own times, the inhumanity of man continues.
In this grimly fascinating book, George Ryley Scott chronicles the use of torture over a period of over two thousand years. Through wide ranging research, and with over fifty illustrations, he builds up a picture of the techniques used, the extent to which they were practised, and the underlying psychology of the act.
Scott's intention is not to titillate but to inform. He argues that it is only by recognising the cruelties inflicted in the past that we can hope to eliminate them in the future.
I know this won't appeal to many of you because it's such an oddball title. I'm aiming this at the bizarrists, who will no doubt enjoy reading up on the subject matter very much!
If you're squeamish, I'd recommend giving this one a miss. The many descriptions of the techniques used are graphic, without being gratuitous. In other words, your imagination can't help filling in the blanks and it does make for grim reading. I've always been interested in military history and have read a number of books that cover such things as the Inquisition and the atrocities committed in the world wars. Yet, I wasn't really prepared for how shocking this book is.
Throughout the book are contemporary illustrations of the implements and acts of torture. Nothing as graphic as you'd see in the average horror movie these days, but disturbing nonetheless. The author has done an amazing amount of research to compile this book. He goes into great detail about how the tortures were contrived, the way in which the implements and apparatus were used and constructed. Best of all for the storytellers, he also gives many historical accounts, with names and dates, of people who were the victims.
This is definitely not a book you sit and read from cover to cover, it's just too disturbing to take in one go. The one thing that has hit me every time I have picked up the book and leafed through it is the sheer variety of methods we have used on each other over the years to inflict the maximum amount of pain possible. Incredible. If only we put as much effort into solving the world's problems eh?!
If you are into bizarre magic and are looking for source material for a gruesome story, this is a book worth buying and unusual enough to contain a lot of source material probably not readily available anywhere else.
Overall
Highly recommended, depending on your tastes and style.
