Book-It 'o9! Book #51
More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a Goodwill find from my father.
Title: Illustrated True Crime: A Photographic Record edited by Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson
Details: Copyright 2002, Magpie Books
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "INDELIBLE MOMENTS OF CRIME CAUGHT ON CAMERA
This vast photographic record of the annals of crime features some of the twentieth century's most infamous criminals and shocking crimes. Packed with more than 400 photographs arranged in chronological order, it covers everything from arson to cannibalism, con men, mass murderers, sabotage, victims and vital clues.
Among the unforgettable images on display are: justice's heavy hand as a body reels before the firing squad; the mid-Atlantic capture of wife-killer Dr Crippen; Lucky Luciano and the mass trials of the mafia; American heiress Patty Hearst on camera robbing a bank; terror at the Munich Olympic Massacre; the elusive Lord Lucan; serial cannabalist Jeffrey Dahmer; the LA riots, Japanese doomsday cult Aum Supreme Truth's gas attack on Tokyo; and key footage from the O.J. Simpson case."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I've always had an interesting in true crime literature as well as crime photography.
How I Liked It: The book contains a number of rare pictures and is strange in that it's surprisingly not America-centric which many if not most true crime publications generally are, regardless of the country of publication. The book spans a wide range of crime, not limiting itself to the predictable gore and serial killers. Some unusual choices appear, such as police combing Chappaquiddick where Ted Kennedy was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, and a portrait of a cow shoe, hooves crafted to disguise a bootlegger's footprints. The accompanying text is concise, informative, and surprisingly engaging. Among the truly notable photographs are a Frenchman found guilty of treason during WWII and executed by firing squad (the picture was snapped the moment the bullets struck the victim), and a particularly haunting photo of a female drunk tank (a novelty at the time of the photo: 1945).
A worthy find for even jaded enthusiasts of true crime photography/literature.
Notable: On page 469 there's a courtroom photo of "Dr James Sehn display[ing] a photograph of John Wayne Bobbitt's severed penis". (pg 468) The photo is a sort of bizarre juxtaposition. The gore of Bobbitt's severed organ via photograph held by a man with an almost shrug. You can see the pic here (obviously NSFW).
Title: Illustrated True Crime: A Photographic Record edited by Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson
Details: Copyright 2002, Magpie Books
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "INDELIBLE MOMENTS OF CRIME CAUGHT ON CAMERA
This vast photographic record of the annals of crime features some of the twentieth century's most infamous criminals and shocking crimes. Packed with more than 400 photographs arranged in chronological order, it covers everything from arson to cannibalism, con men, mass murderers, sabotage, victims and vital clues.
Among the unforgettable images on display are: justice's heavy hand as a body reels before the firing squad; the mid-Atlantic capture of wife-killer Dr Crippen; Lucky Luciano and the mass trials of the mafia; American heiress Patty Hearst on camera robbing a bank; terror at the Munich Olympic Massacre; the elusive Lord Lucan; serial cannabalist Jeffrey Dahmer; the LA riots, Japanese doomsday cult Aum Supreme Truth's gas attack on Tokyo; and key footage from the O.J. Simpson case."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I've always had an interesting in true crime literature as well as crime photography.
How I Liked It: The book contains a number of rare pictures and is strange in that it's surprisingly not America-centric which many if not most true crime publications generally are, regardless of the country of publication. The book spans a wide range of crime, not limiting itself to the predictable gore and serial killers. Some unusual choices appear, such as police combing Chappaquiddick where Ted Kennedy was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, and a portrait of a cow shoe, hooves crafted to disguise a bootlegger's footprints. The accompanying text is concise, informative, and surprisingly engaging. Among the truly notable photographs are a Frenchman found guilty of treason during WWII and executed by firing squad (the picture was snapped the moment the bullets struck the victim), and a particularly haunting photo of a female drunk tank (a novelty at the time of the photo: 1945).
A worthy find for even jaded enthusiasts of true crime photography/literature.
Notable: On page 469 there's a courtroom photo of "Dr James Sehn display[ing] a photograph of John Wayne Bobbitt's severed penis". (pg 468) The photo is a sort of bizarre juxtaposition. The gore of Bobbitt's severed organ via photograph held by a man with an almost shrug. You can see the pic here (obviously NSFW).
