Product Description

Cannibalism is unquestionably one of the oldest and deepest-seated taboos. Even in an age when almost nothing is sacred, religious, moral and social prohibitions surround the topic. But even as our minds recoil at the mention of actual acts of cannibalism there is some dark fascination with the subject. Appalling crimes of humans eating other humans are blown into major news stories and gory movies: both Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" were based on the crimes of Ed Gein, who is profiled, along with others, in this book. In "Eat Thy Neighbour", the authors put the subject of cannibalism into its social and historical perspective. They present a lively and informative account of cannibalism, and cannibals, from the earliest known incidents to the present day. They include cases of ritual cannibalism in early and primitive societies such the inhabitants of Papua New Guinea; cases where famine, poverty, disease or war has left no alternative; cases in mythology, legend, literature, and fairytales like "Hansel and Gretel"; and cases of individuals from the Middle Ages to the present - Mrs Lovett and Sweeny Todd, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Armin Meiwes, the recent German cannibal who found his victim via the internet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #907278 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

About the Author
Daniel Diehl is an author and cultural historian. Mark P. Donnelly is a writer and lecturer on medieval subjects. Together they have produced an impressive number of books and television documentary scripts, including a book about the history of the Tower of London, Tales from the Tower (Sutton 2004).

Customer Reviews

cannibalism
An excellent read and most entertaining to a warped sense of humour like mine.
Steve