Assassins’ Deeds: A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day

· Reaktion Books
Ebook
368
Pages
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Eligible

About this ebook

Assassins have been killing the powerful and famous for at least three thousand years. Personal ambition, revenge, and anger have encouraged many to violent deeds, like the Turkish sultan who had nineteen of his brothers strangled or the bodyguards who murdered a dozen Roman emperors. More recently have come new motives like religious and political fanaticism, revolution and liberation, with governments also getting in on the act, while many victims seem to have been surprisingly careless: Abraham Lincoln was killed after letting his bodyguard go for a drink. So, do assassinations work? Drawing on anecdote, historical evidence, and statistical analysis, Assassins’ Deeds delves into some of history’s most notorious acts, unveiling an intriguing cast of characters, ingenious methods of killing, and many unintended consequences.
Assassins have been killing the powerful and famous for at least three thousand years. Personal ambition, revenge, and anger have encouraged many to violent deeds, like the Turkish sultan who had nineteen of his brothers strangled or the bodyguards who murdered a dozen Roman emperors. More recent...

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About the author

John Withington is an award-winning television journalist, based in London, whose previous books include Secrets of the Centenarians, also published by Reaktion Books.
John Withington is an award-winning television journalist, based in London, whose previous books include Secrets of the Centenarians, also published by Reaktion Books.

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