A Hangman's Diary by Franz Schmidt

A Hangman's Diary

The Journal of Master Franz Schmidt, Public Executioner of Nuremberg, 1573-1617

Franz Schmidt, Albrecht Keller, C. Calvert

Skyhorse · Print & ebook · February 3, 2015

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.

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Who it’s for
A spare firsthand record that turns execution-house routine into strangely readable history.
Genres
Historical True Crime, German History, 16th-Century History
Published
Skyhorse, February 3, 2015

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About this book

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.

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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. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Diary in Dark

A spare firsthand record that turns execution-house routine into strangely readable history.

Come here for

  • primary-source diary voice
  • grim civic life, matter-of-factly kept

Expect

  • period detail over narrative sweep
  • a reference-like, dip-in read

Where it sits

16th-Century History55%
German History45%
Historical True Crime38%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • German History
  • 17th-Century History
  • 16th-Century History
Authors
Franz Schmidt, Albrecht Keller, C. Calvert
Publisher
Skyhorse
Published
February 3, 2015
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
German History