Hung Drawn and Quartered

Although I'm only a third of the way into the book, I have doubts about the accuracy of the stated facts, the best example to me is when a nine years old girl's testimony sends her mum, brother, sister and two neighbours to the stake at Pendle (page 94). The alleged crimes were committed at Pendle but the 'wutches' were executed in Lancaster by hanging, i.e. NOT the stake. Having said that, the book is a good read.

Lots of good quality illustrations, some grim, interesting stories and a fun little read overall.

Inaccurate and sensationalist, this book peddles old historical myths and misconceptions and adds a few of its own. The treatment of the French Revolution is horrifying for the wrong reasons: the author shows no sign of having read any decent modern scholarship on the subject. The cover (which includes part of the Thermidorian engraving of Robespierre guillotining the executioner) should have been a clue. What is inside is worse. All the worst sensationalist tosh you can imagine on the Revolution, Madame de Lamballe’s death, Robespierre depicted as the 'légende noire' mass-murdering tyrant who should be called 'the Psychotic' not 'the Incorruptible' (oh yes, and Moore claims he had Asperger's as well! – Well, if he was, all I can say is, “Welcome, little brother!”) It was first published last year, and it stuns me that this kind of lazy sensationalism is still being perpetrated, despite the ready availability of more responsible works such as Peter McPhee's  Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life . The fact Moore is based in the Education Department of the same Australian university as McPhee makes it even more shocking.