A Criminal History of Mankind

"A work of massive energy, compulsively readable, splendidly informative...it establishes Wilson in a European tradition of thought that includes H.G. Wells, Sartre and Shaw." —Time Out

"A tremendous resource for crime buffs as well as a challenging exposition for some of the more subtle criminological thinking of our time." —Kirkus

This landmark work offers a completely new approach to the history and psychology of human violence. Its sweep is broad, its research meticulous and detailed. Wilson explores the bloodthirsty sadism of the ancient Assyrians and the mass slaughter by the armies led by Genghis Khan, Tamurlane, Ivan the Terrible, and Vlad the Impaler. He delves into modern history, exploring the genocides practiced by Stalin and Hitler. He then takes a chilling look into the sex crimes and mass murders that have become symbols of the neuroses and intensity of modern life. With breathtaking audacity and stunning insight, Wilson puts criminality firmly in a wide, illuminating historical context. The result is a completely new approach to the history and psychology of human violence.

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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.