A Hangman’s Diary
The Journal of Master Franz Schmidt, Public Executioner of Nuremberg, 1573-1617
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A Hangman’s Diary
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Narrated by:
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John McLain
About this listen
Now an esoteric of legal and criminal history, A Hangman's Diary gives a year-by-year breakdown on all of Master Franz Schmidt's executions, which included hangings, beheadings, and other methods, as well as details of each capital crime and the reason for the punishment.
From 1573 to 1617, Master Franz Schmidt was the executioner for the towns of Bamberg and Nuremberg. During that span, he personally executed more than 350 people while keeping a journal throughout his career.
A Hangman's Diary is not only a collection of detailed writings by Schmidt about his work but also an account of criminal procedure in Germany during the Middle Ages. With analysis and explanation, editor Albrecht Keller and translators C. Calvert and A. W. Gruner have put together a masterful tome that sets the scene of execution day and puts you in Master Franz Schmidt's shoes as he does his duty for his country.
An unusual and fascinating classic of crime and punishment, A Hangman's Diary is more than a history lesson; it shows the true anarchy that inhabited our world only a few hundred years ago.
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What listeners say about A Hangman’s Diary
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nathan
- 29-03-22
earphone users beware
Playback has random static throughout performance, apart from this a very interesting listening experience
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Derfel C
- 13-01-23
Poor Quality Recording
Had to return it due to white noise occasionally on the soundtrack, first time I have seen this in over 800 books. Interesting content so I may get this in book form.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- ste roach
- 22-01-22
Not what I expected
I dont fully know what I was expecting from this book but it certainly wasn't this, it failed to bring to life the diary of the hangman and just really went through the number of executions and methods.
Did have a few good parts such as the explanation for the execution methods but that is about it for me. I didn't even get half way through before I was done with it
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-12-21
could have been better
Fascinating book but terrible recording. A loud crackle sound happens at random points. It makes headphone listening pretty brutal on the ears. Also it's a bit odd having a cheesy American news anchor sounding man as the narrator for a book based in 16ths century Germany but hey ho.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- martin thomas
- 02-02-24
Imperfect recoding but interesting primary source
The everyday barbarity of punishment for perceived criminality is interesting. However the recording is flawed in places, and the narration flat and monotonous
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Hannah
- 02-07-24
I really didn’t enjoy this book.
I am not a squeamish person so it’s not at all the content of this book. The audio recording is jarring as you’ll be listening to a passage of historical dialogue then a sudden burst of static (presumably the old cassette tape ending) will sound. I listen on headphones so I found this too distracting. I listened to approx half of the book and I would say this interjection happened around 10 times.
The actual diary part starts around halfway through and reads like a shopping list, June 10 people, a thief, a murderer etc etc. I thought the diary would be more of a backstory on the accused.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- HumanBeing
- 16-07-23
Torture itself!
If wearing earphones, be aware that you will get bursts of white noise from time to time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dennis Sommers
- 16-09-21
After reading this never judge another society’s wrongs!
A dreadful lesson! After reading this there is nothing left to be said about the barbarity of criminal procedures in Islamic or any other societies! This was the obituary in which learning and high-minded pursuits went on while this story of criminal justice could have been t into effect on anybody unlucky enough to have acquired a bad reputation, although some of the crimes were absolutely appalling too. Class prejudice and mysogeny went unchallenged; and whatever high-minded achievements we celebrate in the arts or philosophy/theology, this was the base line. … lest we forget!
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1 person found this helpful