Colin Wilson tells the story of human violence from Peking
Man to the Mafia - taking into account the calculated sadism of the
Assyrians, the opportunism of the Greek pirates, the brutality that made
Rome the ‘razor king of the Mediterranean’, the mindless destruction of
the Vandals, the mass slaughter of Genghis Khan, Tamurlane, Ivan the
Terrible, Vlad the Impaler and more. Each age has a unique
characteristic pattern of crime. In the past three centuries crime has
changed and evolved until the sex killer and the mass murderer have
become symbols of all that is worst about our civilization. But this is
not just a study in human depravity; it is an attempt to place crime in
perspective against human discovery, exploration and invention. The
result is a completely new approach to the history and psychology of
human violence.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Colin Wilson lives in Cornwall with his wife. He was born in
Leicester in 1931 and left school at sixteen working in several jobs
before becoming a full-time writer with the publication of ‘The
Outsider’. He is a renowned authority on the paranormal and is the
author of over fifty books, with subjects ranging from mysticism to
criminology. He has also written articles, plays and contributed to
several newspapers and journals. He regards himself primarily as a
philosopher concerned with the meaning of human existence, but unlike
many ‘existentialists’, his outlook is basically optimistic.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Edward
Format:Paperback
I had read only one book by Colin Wilson ("The Outsider", of course)
when I found a paperback in a used-book store. There followed a month of
fairly intense reading, because "A Criminal History of Mankind" is
fascinating from beginning to end, and many sections I read over again.
Wilson divides the book into three main sections: 1) The Psychology of
Human Violence 2) A Criminal Outline of History 3) The Age of Mass
Murder. In the first section, Wilson notes that criminal actions have
been motivated by the "hierarchy of needs":food, shelter, sex, and the
need for admiration. (In recent years, we have seen those who commit
murder in order to gain fame.) Wilson describes what he calls the "right
man", a sociopath obsessed with image and self-esteem. Most of these
people are life's losers, but not all. A startling exception is the
successful comic actor Peter Sellers, whose son's biography shows
Sellers to have been almost criminal in his manic, morbidly obsessive
nature. The second section is, by Wilson's own admission, H.G. Wells'
"Outline of History" from a criminal point of view, everything from
ancient Athens to Victorian London. Interestingly, Wilson writes: "This
book is centrally concerned with crime; but if we ignore the creativity,
we shall not only fail to understand the crime: we shall miss the whole
point of human history." The third section goes into our own era, the
Bundys, the DeSalvos, the Mansons. Wilson spends a full 50
blood-drenched pages on the Mafia. The book, published in 1984, touches
only briefly on the disturbing increase of children who kill. Along with
the horrors, there are pages of incisive philosophy: "It is true that
we cannot live without an ego; a person without an ego is little more
than an idiot. Another name for ego is personality, and in artists,
saints, and philosophers, the personality is a most valuable tool.
Neither St Francis nor Beethoven nor Plato would have achieved much
impact without their personalities. But the personality is a dangerous
servant, for it has a perpetual hankering to become the master. Every
time we are carried away by irritation or indignation, personality has
mastered us."Violence will always be with us. A casual glance at
yesterday's New York Times finds the coverage of a man who threw his
baby from a 15-story window while bickering with his wife. But Wilson
ends his riveting book with cautious optimism: Referring to the criminal
as a distortion of humanity, he writes (and quotes the German poet
Novalis) that when humanity itself is aware that this is only a
nightmare, we are close to awakening.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Conangib
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The title is misleading... this is a work far beyond criminal history.
It is comprehensive history and philosophical work... it is Colin
Wilson at his best... and as always difficult to find but easy to read.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
An enjoyable and thought-provoking romp through the horror that has
been everyday life for most people. If you've read other Wilson I don't
have to tell you that there are a good many questionable assertions
and several straight-out mistakes. His Roman history section in
particular leans way too much on the dazzling but unreliable Suetonius.
But I enjoyed it anyway; work your way through three or four of his
massive tomes and you can skip college!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Whistle-stop tour through the killing fields of history
Once again Colin Wilson has produced a brilliantly readable book,
which takes the reader on a whistle-stop tour through the killing fields
of history and, in the process, reminds... Read more
Published 4 months ago by still searching
1.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but very confused
Mr. Wilsons book is at its best when he sticks to just running through his colorful and slightly morbid summary of crime. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jacob Christiansen
5.0 out of 5 stars
I m happy with product and service
amazon is the best place to buy books,you can get here on
unbelieveable price.Perticular seller is recommended to buy the books.
Published 22 months ago
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful prose and research
I bought my initial copy of this book almost 30 years ago. I am drawn
to re-read it every four to five years and everytime, am overwhelmed by
the effortless blending of research... Read more
Published on July 12, 2007 by D. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
delivers what it promises....and more...
Just finished reading it (little hard to find copy) and once again
Colin Wilson doesn't disappoint. I'm truly amazed at the amount of
research the author put in. Read more
Published on May 31, 2003 by Rupesh Verma
5.0 out of 5 stars
rhyme & reason
if you have ever read anything by colin wilson (certainly youve read "the outsider") then definetly read this book. Read more
Published on December 15, 1999 by jace
5.0 out of 5 stars
the most comprehensive study of the criminal mind ever
This is a study of how and why man is naturally a criminally minded
animal. The author takes many different arguments and theories, blended
with his own views on why man is the... Read more
Published on October 25, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
An engrossing...yet hard to find...read.
I rescued a copy of this book from my library's pulp stock...thank
god. I think I've read it at least 20 times, because it's full of so
much history, there's no way of... Read more
Published on October 23, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Read
Really is a very good, informative read. I use this as a historical
reference book. I would happily recommend this book to anyone who wants
an intelligent read for a week or two... Read more
Published on June 5, 1998 by adonegan@iol.ie
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book... recommend highly..hard to find.. phil and hist
this is a great book. the title is misleading since it is primarily
about history and philosophy. I loaned my book to someone and have
forgotten who... Read more
Published on March 8, 1998 by Conangib
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