Take an incredible journey back in time to the land of the rising sun. Marvel at fabulous treasures and tales of samurai, shoguns, and sumo.Travel back in time more than 2000 years to visit the ancient islands of Japan. See the stunning masks of the Noh theatre and watch sumo wrestlers in action. Marvel at the weapons and armor used by a mighty samurai and discover mythical tales of demons, gods, and goddesses. Dozens of Japanese treasures are depicted in detailed ...

This arresting miscellany is jam-packed with intriguing and enlightening stories, facts, and trivia about all manner of murderers, miscreants, and malcontents.The book reveals incredible tales about criminal gangs around the world, such as the Japanese Yakuza, the L.A. Crips and Bloods, and the Italian Camorra. Plus, there are extensive lists of criminal slang throughout the centuries; an exploration of Russian prison tattoos; a confidence trickster's lexicon; insights into the wor...

'To me it was like hunting. Hunting people down.'Anatoly OnoprienkoFrom perverse acts of cannibalism and dark sexual fantasies to vicious acts motivated by greed and a simple lust for blood, this book reveals the methods and motivations of some of the world's most notorious serial killers, including Juan Corona, Ian Brady & Myra Hindley, Pee Wee Gaskins and Ivan Milat.Discover the true stories behind celebrity murderers whose names have beco...

Jeffrey Dahmer committing his first murder with a fear of being left alone, then went on luring young boys and keeping souvenirs of their skulls.Ted Bundy who appeared to be a generous and charming young man with a brilliant future started with a petty crime and worked his way up to the murder of young women.John Wayne Gacy was a pillar of the community, organizing themed block parties and entertaining as Pogo the Clown, bu...

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! THIS NEW AND UPDATED EDITION FINALLY PROVES THE SHOCKING IDENTITY OF THE BLACK DAHLIA KILLER—AND THE POLICE CORRUPTION THAT CONCEALED IT FOR SO LONGIn 1947, the brutal, sadistic murder of a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Short led to the largest manhunt in LA history. The killer teased and taunted the police and public for weeks, but his identity stayed a mystery, and the murder remained the most tantalizing unsolved case of the ...

You couldn't make it up: incredible real-life criminal casesA fascinating A-Z of murderous crimes which spans the globe and the centuries in uncovering the extremes of human criminality in all its strangeness.This collection of unusual, if not sensational, murder cases recalls strange crimes of the past and offers insights into particularly macabre and shocking modern murders. Many of the cases also shed light on advances in crime detection, law enforcement...

This is no ordinary true crime book. If you think you've got the stomach for the most blood-curdling, sickening and downright strangest murders you will ever come across, then look no further than these pages. You have been warned...Take, for example, Enriqueta Marti who kidnapped children from the streets of Barcelona, then boiled away their flesh and crushed their bones for ingredients for her coveted 'magic potions'. Or take Randy Kraft, known as The Scorecard Killer, a computer genius ...

THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER ON HISTORY’S MOST HEINOUS!Hollywood’s make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can’t hold a candle to real life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the seri...

World Serial Killers investigates the fiendish crimes of butchers like Fritz Haarman selling human meat on the streets of Hanover, Germany, Edinburgh body-snatchers Burke and Hare and Alberto De Salvo, the notorious Boston Strangler. Read the accounts of deranged real-life monsters such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Jack the Ripper as well as the stories of many other serial killers from around the world.Contents: Europe – Burke and Hare, Jack the Ripper, Henri Landru, ...

To Thomas T. Noguchi, America's most famous medical examiner, every death is a mystery—until the cause is foundIn his first book, the runaway bestseller Coroner, Dr. Noguchi wrote of his controversial investigations as medical examiner of Los Angeles County. In Coroner at Large, the man who has often been called the "Detective of Death" probes the mysteries surrounding the most celebrated criminal cases in recent American history.Using sophi...

There's nothing more chilling than an unsolved crime, particularly one involving direct harm to human life; be it murder or rape, these are the crimes whose effects extend furthest and cause most pain to humanity: how much worse when they go unsolved and, as such, unpunished?Such crimes, so-called 'cold cases', are all too common, especially in the big cities where hundreds if not thousands of such incidents remain on file. After the initial furore of questioning suspects and analy...

The first and best compendium of facts weirder than fiction, of intriguing information and must-talk-about trivia has spawned many imitators – but none as addictive or successful.For nearly three decades the editors researched curious facts, unusual statistics and the incredible stories behind them. The most entertaining and informative of these have been brought together in this edition.