The History of Torture

by Daniel P. Mannix

Book Overview

'Morality is nothing more than an expression of expediency' a notorious torturer reportedly once replied to objections about his profession. From the primitive snake pit to sophisticated methods of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750932716
• ISBN13: 9780750932714
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: History Press
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Reader Drawn In, Good/Detailed Coverage, Easy Read

I have read a few books on torture- Daniel Mannix's was the most enjoyable. Like other reviews note, the text opens with a powerful episode in human torture. It feels like the author leaves no rock unturned in discussing humanity's dark past (and present), exploring even the tangents on torture such as acts committed against animals (that was new to me). I feel the book an easy read considering the original publish date. Mannix gives first hand details about his research including a visit to a private museum exhibit, a peek inside a decrepit Holocaust facility, and discussions with parties who performed brainwashing. I'm just waiting for a book on torture that includes pictures, not to be morbid. But hey- if we're interested in reading about torture we're probably drawn to device diagrams, instrument illustrations, chamber photos, and even renderings of the acts themselves. Overall, good book on the subject, not a difficult read, and really draws the reader in to feel what victims felt- making us appreciate where we are at today. "Ad mala patrata haec sunt atra theatre parata" Dark theaters are suitable for dark deeds, as it appears in Latin on the walls of torture chambers of the Inquisition. It's interesting to know the author motivated to publish a book on history's darker chapter is the same writer who authored the inspiration behind Disney's The Fox and the Hound.

A Bit Dated, But A Fascinating Read

Is torture an atavistic tendency that is left-over from our evolutionary roots? Is it a means to deter crime? Does it serve to placate the sadistic impulses of society in their attempt to punish those who disobey social rules? This book highlights the use of torture throughout cultures and time while exploring both the possible global and cultural specific reasons for its widespread use. This book is a must read for history buffs and thanatophiles alike. It is a relatively short read but covers the topic in good detail.

Fascinating and terrible

Daniel Mannix has written an extraordinarily detailed and intriguing treatise on the history and validity of torture, through every culture, era and continent in the world. From the earliest societies in Greece to modern-day usage, every aspect of torture is covered in this exhaustive volume. It took me a while to get through Mannix's book, since I often read it in small blocks. Too much of this sort of information at once can be an almost nauseating experience - and I'm not particularly squeamish. However, after finishing it I found it to be a pretty rewarding venture that really gets you thinking about some important philosophical and historical concepts. I'll come back to this.Mannix writes rather tersely and emotionally detached about the most unthinkable acts of humankind. He covers specific torture devices - what they were and how they were used - and then often recounts several specific situations when the device was used and what the results were. Every society and age has "contributed" something to the legacy of torture and Mannix leaves nobody out. Whether it's the Aztecs who once sacrificed 70,000 people in one event, to the Australian penal colonies, he not only covers it but also relates the differences and similarities between the devices and methods employed. Just some of the groups covered are the Native Americans, the Nazis, the Europeans throughout every century, Africans, South Americans, the North American colonies, the Inquisition, modern-day police in every major country, Asians of every era and dynasty, Vikings, African-American slaves, and the witch trials. He makes careful notes of when a torture device was reused or modified in some way from society to society.The specific stories he relates are always shocking and beyond belief, yet they are well-documented accounts. The ingenuity of torturers is truly staggering, rivaling some of the greatest inventors of all time. How these monsters came to devote enough of their minds and time to devising these horrible instruments is unthinkable. Yet Mannix explores every last deep, dark corner of these demented minds.There are several areas of the humanities that Mannix touches upon, sometimes deliberately, sometimes inadvertently. In general he tries to stick to the facts and avoid inserting his opinion. On occasion, however, he can't resist and shows his hand with a carefully written sentence or a colorful adverb. One area that he didn't specifically touch upon that got me thinking a great deal, is that of the reparations forced on certain social groups by other social groups for past crimes. Various races, even in America, consider the atrocities enacted on their race to be the worst in humankind's history. Reading Mannix's book will show that this is the result of a very narrow and uninformed view of history. The brutal decimation of hundreds of thousands of Aztecs, the mass executions of nearly two million people by Ghengis Khan, the horrible slave trades of the ancient Romans

Interesting compilation of facts, rumors, and ideals

Daniel P. Mannix has given us a great compilation of facts, rumors, and ideals in "The History of Torture." He examines the pros and cons of torture, discussing whether it even works and in what circumstances it works best, as well as when and why it can be totally ineffective. He discusses the reactions and ideals of the people who did the torturing, delving into what they hoped to accomplish by torturing each other and how the different ways of torturing affected the person being tortured and the people watching, if any.Mannix puts everything into historic perspective. He talks about how different societies grew up around corporal punishment (Rome, France, America, etc) and discusses different morals and ideals throughout the past thousand or so years that allowed torture to take place. His facts are interlaced with stories and rumors, which to me are just as interesting because it gives a sense of what people believed versus what actually took place. Religious factions play a large role in torture, and Mannix reviews which religious sects tortured and when and why they stopped.Mannix discusses the different types of torture, from the instruments to the uses of each torture, and gives examples of each. He relates different torture devices to instruments he has already written about, which gave a sense of how torture evolved. Mannix also tells of which societies were (or are) the most effective at torturing their victims.All in all, it was a very interesting read. I feel that I've learned a lot from this book, and I am very interested in continuing to learn more. This book was a great starting point.

Historical confirmation of the value of love

This book has it all---murder, cruelty, history, execution, murder, boiling oil, cruelty, and lots of enigmatically depraved sentences. Mannix is the MAN!nix. The guy can write---he puts these sentences down that are novels in themselves. I've read most of his books, but none of them touches this one for haiku-like brilliance of his prose. He can roll of a description of the most depraved acts known to man with a terseness befitting a VCR manual. Ace stuff.Particularly heart warming is the story of the Russian princess way back when who was having an affair, and was punished by being frozen into a fortress made of solid ice with her lover and a gaggle of midgets and mentally-less-than-thou types, who forced them to make whoopee on the ice bed. But that's just one example, and there are literally thousands in this book. The depth of the research is just staggering.It all reminds me of the time I was laid off by Bob Egan. I mean, it wasn't like I was tortured or anything---he felt bad about it, so did I. But the thing was that Bob could lay out sentences like nobody's business. I remember when the company announced that there were going to be layoffs, and they packed nearly 100 people into a conference room that was designed to hold 30, then connected with the Chicago office via the high tech phone system, and announced that the company was going to "go through some changes". It was Bob's job there to soften the blow---I think he was the "COO", whatever that means---but stay realistic about it all. So he stepped up to the plate after the CEO (Chief Executive Officer, I'm told), and made this really funny but bang-on comment about the state of the company. I can't remember what that comment was, though, since they'd closed the door to the conference room, and there was absolutely no oxygen left in the room. So that was kind of like torture, and Bob was kind of like Mannix.Anyway, they used to have to clear rats out of the dungeons because they would eat the fingers and toes off of people locked in the stocks, and then they'd bleed to death, leaving the public with no murder to watch, which was bad. Bob laid me off 8 months ago and I'm still unemployed---which is fine, since it's given me a lot of time to catch up on rereading this book. The only thing that would've made the book better would be a guest appearance by Nixon.