The World's Most Evil Men (World's Greatest)

In my opinion, the writing style of this book is commendable. The subject matter is sufficently varied to spark an interest in reading other historical books.

This is a fascinating page-turner, albeit disturbing subject matter. The authors span history and provide profiles of the life and crimes of the most notorius killers and mass murderers, focussing upon government leaders and crime lords throughout history. Hitler and the Nazi's, Pol Pot, the Ottoman Sultans, Caligula, Idi Amin, Stalin, Ivan the Terrible, the Borgias, the Conquistadores, sea pirates, Marat, Jim Jones, the Mafia crime lords amongst others all have individual chapters written about them. The book describes their crimes but rarely seeks out the motivation behind the crimes. There are several photographs and drawings included. The book is quick, entertaining reading, though it is gory. My criticisms of the book deal with the writing style. Many quotes are attributed to Caligula and others when there is no way a quote could be verified. Descriptions of some actions in private encounters could never be verified either. There is a yellow journalism tone throughout the book, but still it makes for a quick, interesting read.