EXECUTIONERS: Men and Women Who Kill for the People - Anne Williams

Some people kill for the sheer thrill of it, others for revenge or for financial gain. Executioners kill because the state employs them to do so - but who chooses to enter this occupation and why do they do it?

The best executioners take pride in the precision with which they are able to despatch their victims. They are professionals who regard themselves as skilled technicians.

Violent psychopaths rarely make good executioners and history has shown that blood-lust is not a required attribute for any potential candidate, an aptitude for dramatic performance, a technical eye, a good grasp of science and a sense of humour are.

The author investigates the history of capital punishment across the world, and the fascinating lives and careers of the people who are employed to deliver the ultimate penalty. Featuring amongst others : Berry, Marwood, De Torquemada, Albert Pierrepoint etc. and includes : Early Forms of Execution; The Spanish Inquisition; The Witch-Hunters; Impalement; Newgate Prison; The Guillotine; Hanged, Drawn & Quartered; The Electric Chair; The Gas Chamber; Lethal Injection.