I loved reading it and having the main character help me take on a perspective that doing his this job didn't mean that he believed everything he was told, and that it meant a lot to him to make a living, although it was a low life status. I and the two priests, namely Master Eucharius and Master Lienhardt Krieg, brought this about, as the bridges were already prepared, because they should all three have been drowned.

The language used is occasionally archaic, for example the translator uses ‘incendiary’ where we would be more familiar with the term ‘arsonist’. It will help to be in a certain mood to read this book, as it is non-fiction, and does go on at length about crimes and their respective execution. John Ellis was Britain's executioner for 23 years, and in his time he hanged some of the most infamous murderers of all time.but there is a really good essay about the german criminal justice system in the 1500s and 1600s in the beginning of the book. I learned a lot from the extensive introduction about crime and punishment at the time and kept thinking what an interesting premise it would be for a book of short stories, since each execution described is a little micro-story in and of itself. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now.

This has nothing to do with what I usually read, but someone mentioned it on a post and I got curious. Pierrepoint, arriving at Chelmsford prison slightly intoxicated on 13 July 1910, had started a row, and would have beaten Ellis up, had not warders intervened. I am glad that I read this book, but, unlike “The Faithful Executioner”, I don’t see myself revisiting it in the future. The harrowing part of the book is not the diary, it's too factual, but the essay which proceeds it, Calvert's "A brief account of criminal proceedure in Germany in the Middle Ages' is enough to put any potential time traveler off.But the woman Lengin, when she brought forth her child alive in the house of a smith, throttled it and buried it in a heap of refuse. This was definitely a diary that he used to keep track of those that he executed and how they were executed. A Hangmans Diary is not only a collection of detailed writings by Schmidt about his work, but also an account of criminal procedure in Germany during the Middle Ages.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. Originally published more than eighty years ago, A Hangman's Diary gives a year-by-year breakdown on all of Master Schmidt's executions, which include hangings, beheadings, and other methods of murder, as well as explanations of each crime and the reason for the punishment. Only downside is the absence of sources because I want to do extra reading and some pointers would be good. Schmidt's diary of executions opens a window into a different world, where the reader can both be awed by the brutality of his working life, and if they are prepared to read between the lines, gain insight into a fascinating cultural shift. The methods and reasons for torture and execution were also an interesting insight into the medieval mindset.

Absolutely incredible book, the book starts with an explanation of the legal system in Nuremberg at the time giving lots of context for the later entries. Read more about the condition Very Good: A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition. For these deeds he, Stüller, was drawn out on a sledge at Bamberg, his body torn thrice with red-hot tongs, and then he was executed on the wheel.

As a society becoming or disintegrating is what our civilization is working on, respecting human beings and the rights to be proven guilty, not arbitrarily imprisoned or put to death.The people in the diary lived in a world that was, in some significant ways, utterly different to ours. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).