Book of the Week: The Grand Inquisitioner's Manual

Congratulations go out to Judy P. who has won a copy of Justin Marozzi's The Way of Herodotus, last week's book of the week.

Up this week: a somber look at inquisition and torture. Only the most uplifting posts here, friends!

To enter the drawing for Jonathan Kirsch's The Grand Inquisitor's Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God, just click on the book cover TO YOUR LEFT.

The Grand Inquisitor's Manual explores the often overlooked methods of torture used during the Catholic Inquisition and how these methods were used in an ever-broadening circle of reconnaissance efforts during the early-modern period. On Thursday, Jonathan will be offering up some thoughts on the connection between the early history of terror and core debates regarding torture in the present day. It's intense stuff, but richly interesting.

For those of you who need a dose of horror before then, I recommend Kris Waldherr's piece on the "Art of Dying" which includes some wondering about why decapitated heads blush when slapped.

OR, you might head over to the Tate and take a peek at one of the most famous series on the darker side of humanity: Hogarth's Four Stages of Cruelty. Even the 18th century understood that violence pays itself forward. Cruel children become cruel adults, who make cruel children who become cruel adults...

Or if this is all just too intense for you, perhaps some fun potato marvels or chocolatey wonders will shake the harsh world away...

Image: William Hogarth, The Four Stages of Cruelty: The First Stage of Cruelty (1751). Courtesy of the Tate Britain.