The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold

"The Executioner Always Chops Twice" is an interesting collection of anecdotes, but as a previous reviewer states they are not "ghastly blunders." Often the mishaps or issues are some ironic coincidence or a slight blunder. However, a view that all execution is a ghastly practice to begin with would make any accidents ghastly as well. As a book, it is light simple reading. A series of short stories, often no longer than a page, it is perfect for flipping through on the bus or subway. It starts with a brief introduction of the various methods and then chapters consisting of tales from each of the respective method. They are arranged well but occasionally a story shows up in the wrong "method" and breaks the continuity. Overall, this book was fun to read and sparked me to look into some of Abbott's other work and some stories contained within. While not a wholly serious study of execution it is entertaining reading that will make you think of what execution really is.

This was a terrific book! It was educational as well as very amusing in a very dark sense. I've seen the author on the History Channel and found him to be both interesting and well versed on his subject.

This book was really interesting and informative. I had no idea all that went on.

Mr Abbott initially gives us an overview of some of the more grisly ways to meet an end, including dismemberment and deep-frying in oil. However, the presentation is detailed without being nauseating, which is quite a trick. Still, it's certainly enough to make one cringe. The anecdotes are referenced enough to allow follow up research, without being overdone. This is an entertaining read, with a certain amount of black humor mixed in of necessity. It covers errors in execution, in reprieve, mobs and crowds, horrific mistakes that caused gory ends, and the people who went to their death with dignity, humor, or kicking and screaming. In this way, it gives a measure of insight into the condemned mind, and that of the executioner and crowd. Highly recommended.

I started reading this book expecting to find yet another collection of stories containing a kernel of historical truth and a mound of anecdotal inaccuracies. Too often the latter are added simply to tintillize the reader without bothering to check further into whether or not what is reported is the truth. I must say I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Abbott not only knows his historical facts but is able to present them in such a way that the reader does not want to put the book down. He does not spare us grisly details, yet does not overemphasize the gore. The stories of decapitations and hangings gone horribly wrong help us to understand why executions provided a unique form of "entertainment" for the myriad crowds who gathered around to watch the show. It also makes one glad that we are supposedly more humane today, although, as the book points out, even death by lethal injection does not insure the process will go swiftly and without any problems. One aspect of the book is the manner in which it helps one to understand just what it was like to be an executioner. The job often was passed down from father to son, and there were reputations to be maintained. Other then for the occasional rogue, executioners were by and large men who tried to dispatch their victims as quickly and painlessly as possible. Too often rowdy crowds who hurled insults and even eggs and such at these men who were, after all, just doing their job, sometimes would result in a nervous executioner. And nervous executioners were prone to making mistakes, misjudgments and sometimes would have to literally run for their own lives if the job did not go well or if the sympathies of the mob were with the condemned. It was the first time I have read something from the point of view of the frightening looking man with the black mask over his head. Certainly not a popular profession! I highly recommend this book for entertainment as well as knowledge of a subject few have endeavored to write about. I gave it a four simply because I found Mr. Abbot's habit of adding little stories after each chapter a bit distracting and out of place. Otherwise, if you have any interest in executions and believe in the motto "what can go wrong, will go wrong", even on the scaffold, treat yourself to this book!