| Title | : | The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0671020749 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780671020743 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published October 1, 1996 |
The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers Reviews
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I have previously enjoyed other crime books from Harold Schechter, I found 'Deviant' and 'Bestial' to be fascinating reads that gave a lot of background on the subjects.
This encyclopedia falls far short of his other work, the main reason being the format in which the information is given. I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings such 'ads', 'partners' or 'x-rated'. This made the read very difficult to engage with as Schechter trots out the same information pertaining to the killer every time he ties them to the sub heading. In some cases the same info is given up to 6 or 7 times, this quickly become irritating and every time I came across it, it made me want to DNF. The effects are jarring and turn what could have been an interesting read into a snoozefest. There was some interesting info included but it wasn't enough to lift the rating out of 2*.
The art in the book is also pretty pathetic, I'm not sure why the author didn't use pics of the subjects instead of tacky memorabilia cards or 'art'. You won't find anything in this book that you can't find on the web.
Not recommended.
Read through Scribd. -
Firstly, I expected the list goes on with the names of the serial killers, not with their m.o's. Because of this, the writing got repetitive. As repetitive as it becomes dull at the end and there might be a chance you'll be reading about some killer for the fifth time or more.
It introduces us to some disturbing serial killers like Ted Bundy, Wayne Gacy, Albert Fish and more throughout history. It is so informative that it must have barely missed any details, but could have been better and shorter. -
This book by far is one of the most information packed books on serial killers. Stuff about them, their crimes and small tid-bits you may not have known. Great informational read, if you like true crime stuff.
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This is a nice read if you're into this kind of stuff. However, it is also often very repetitive. You'll find the same killer, and his story, listed in four, five, or sometimes more areas of the book. For ex: William Heirens, the Lipstick Killer, was quoted to have said-- "For heaven's sake catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself."-- in 9 different areas of the book. With that sentence was a mini repeat of his transgressions. If you took out the repeated parts of the book it wouldn't be half of its actual size now.
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Well, this man is such an awesome writer that I had to start a shelf of ONLY his books!!! I plan to read each book that Mr. Schechter writes and am currently reading both Deviant and Psycho USA - Famous American Killers you Never Heard Of. This man, Schechter, has a way of uniting you with eras long lost and forgotten. You empathize with the murdered, revolt at the very thoughts of the killer, and just wish it were all set to music.
I think that, as a student of psychology, this is a must read! I couldn't put it down.
This book listed not just the names of serial killers but their proposed reasons for killing. The why's and how's are answered. He even dispelled some common myths like only Americans are serial killers or only white men are serial killers. This is a true encyclopedia of murderers. I enjoyed every minute of it!
He begins by clearly defining the term serial killer and includes where it originated and by whom. He then lists traits or similarities of serial killers. He lists the history of these dysfunctional personality types and then gives the motivations behind such killers. He makes no mistake of calling these people JUST evil, but goes into specific behaviors that classify them as such by most readers and details how they end up - either captured, committing suicide, etc. He sums it up by explaining the world's fascination with gore. Some of the things we do such as attain memorabilia of murderers, making PLAYING CARDS of these sad people, just to name a few of the macabre things we do were a shock to me.
Anyhow, the book was utterly fascinating. A complete must-have for any true crime fan. -
Güncelliğini yitirmiş olmasa güzel bir çalışma aslında. Orijinalinde yeni basımlarda ekleme/çıkarma yapılmış mı, bilmiyorum ama Türkçe versiyonu Cunanan'la bitiyor, Unabomber'ın kimliği henüz teşhis edilmemiş vs vs. Üç dört sayfa arayla aynı paragrafın karşınıza çıkması (tekrarlı bilgiler) bu kitabın en sinir bozucu yanı. Konuya ilgi duyuyorsanız okunabilir.
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3.5*
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Gives you the meat and potatoes on the heavy-hitters of this delightful topic, but doesn't get the 5th star because of the weird choices he made on picking words to alphabetize. You can't just look up certain killers by name, because some are listed under different topics, like alligators and lime and stuff. That's kind of annoying, but it's good otherwise, and has plenty of non-extraneous information.
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One of my favorite books of all time. I have read this book so much over the years it is falling apart. This is one of the authors responsible for my obsession with serial killers. If I could give this book 10 our of 5 stars I would.
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Interesting, macabre facts about people you really don't wanna meet. 😁
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I'm so glad I've finally finished this book, I didnt like it at all, for many different reasons. I hated the format, it was not organized as an a to z list of serial killers by name as i had expected. Instead it had bizarre headings such as "ads", "bathtubs", "alligators" (which are apparently interchangeable with crocodiles), "blasphemy", "board games", "cards, comics and collectables", "Xerox", and both "X" and "Y" "chromosomes". Pretty weird. Because some/most serial killers come under more than one heading it becomes very repetitive. Some information is repeated up to 9 times! A lot of the information given makes me wonder how much research and fact checking went into this book. A lot of the time the wrong terms are used, and claims are made without any evidence being given to back it up. At one stage after the term "serial killer" is defined as being a person who kills 3 or more people (this number was actually lowered by the FBI to 2 in 2005) and Ed Gein is therefore not considered a serial killer, he is given his own chapter in a book that's supposed to be about serial killers. A lot of false claims, false labels and contradictions are made throughout this book. At one point the very well known thrash metal band Slayer is declared one of the leading purveyors of "black metal" rock? What the hell? Stuff like that just makes me question everything stated in the book. This book was a huge disappointment, I had to force myself to finish it. I'm still going try some other schechter books in the hope that a more focused subject (one particular serial killer) might be handled better.
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A'dan Z'ye Seri Katiller Ansiklopedisi, gerçekten güzel hazırlanmış bir kitaptı, yazarlar iyi bir iş çıkarmışlar. Ayrıntılı ve bolca detaya sahip bilgi içermese de yüzeysel haliyle bile yeterli ve etkileyici. Bu kitap sayesinde insanoğlundaki kötü potansiyelin ne kadar büyük olabileceğine bir kez daha şahit oldum ve ürpererek, insanlığımdan utanarak okudum. İtiraf etmeliyim ki seri katilleri ilginç ve merak uyandırıcı bulurdum artık öyle değil, onları iğrenç yaratıklar olarak görüyorum ve onların artmaması için otorite sahiplerinin acilen harekete geçmesi gerektiğine inanıyorum, son yüzyıllarda seri katiller türemiş ve sayıları giderek artıyorsa bunun muhakkak yeni dünya ile bir ilgisi olmalı. Bunlara karşı acil önlem alınmalı.
Kitabı önermek yada önermemek de kararsızım, anlattıkları kan dondurucu. Belki de hepimizin okuyup ne kadar büyük bir tehlike ile karşı karşıya olduğumuzu anlamamız gerekiyor.
Daha fazlası için;
http://yorumatolyesi.blogspot.com/201... -
Türkiye' nin de önümüzdeki yıllarda seri katillerinin olmaması işten bile değil. Mevcut sistem buna zemin hazırladı bile kitaptan bu tezimi destekleyen bir bölüm "İşte size şaşırtıcı bir istatistik : Bilinen tüm seri katillerin dörtte üçü -kesin olarak %74'ü- Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde ortaya çıkmıştır (Avrupa'da bu rakam sadece %19'dur) Açıkça görülüyor ki Amerikan kültüründe insanları seri cinayetlere meylettiren bir şey vardır. Teoriler, cinselliğe olan tutucu yaklaşımdan -muhtemelen her türlü cinsel patolojinin kaynağı budur- sürekli olarak medyadaki şiddetle beslenmeye kadar uzanmaktadır.
Diğer etmenler ne olursa olsun kültürel yaşamımızın bir yönü kesinlikle sorunu şiddetlendirmektedir." -
This was interesting I guess. It's not that it was bad, it's that it wasn't what I was expecting.
This book is exactly what it sounds. You go from A to Z and they give you stats regarding a certain word. So for example under Q they have the word 'Quicklime' and then they give you stats about all the serial killers who used quick lime and its purpose.
Which means that it is extremely repetitive. Ted Bundy came up at least 50 times in just the things I read. Ed Gein as well. It just got a little repetitive to read the same things over and over. But there were actually some really good facts and trivia and I liked it enough. -
3.5 stars
Certainly not spectacular, but excellent reference book/starting point for those interested in true crimes and their further exploration. The occasional anecdote about killer/police/etc. gave the book additional color. I liked the story about the man/profiler who correctly predicted every single detail about the killer down to the type of suit he wore.
While I was reading it, I couldn't help thinking that horror and thriller writers could never surpass the real murderers, whose imagination is often terrifying. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart. -
Not bad for what it is, great range of serial killers throughout history. Although brief descriptions on some leave you wondering what else is known about the crimes and killers. Not necessarily for the faint of heart since this is real crimes commited against real people not just something an author with an excellent immagination brewed up.
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LOVED IT!!!!!!! serial killers are so fascinating to me can't get enough!
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Loved it! It was slightly repetitious at times, stating facts in some entries that were previously stated in previous entries, but it was still very good! A nice handy serial killer reference!
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A friend of mine once took umbrage with Mr Schechter, and let him know face to face in no uncertain terms that he thought he was an unpleasant human being. Why? My friend, who happened to be working at his publishing company, thought Schechter was coldly unfeeling with his choice of some of the photos he includes.
As someone who does what is essentially a serial killer tour myself, my friend's anger made me re-examine the ethics of books and tours on serial killers. I think such spin-offs can be valid, BUT that those of us who work in the field have to be very, very clear where our sympathies lie. And that should be with the victims. I have always tried to make it obvious that that is exactly where my own sympathies lie, and therefore I believe I am not being hypocritical.
There is indeed a little of the 'gonzo' about Mr Schechter. The titles of his books are a clue: 'Depraved'; 'Bestial' 'Deviant' and the rest. That said, his books do have that curious unseen substance on each page that somehow forces you to turn the page to the next page. And then the next page. And then the next page. Until you stumble to bed eyes red, brain whirling, at 4am, wondering if that was a tree branch tapping your window or a knuckle... -
It seems perverse to rate a book like this, so I won't--but it is fascinating. This is actually the second time I've read it. The last time was some years ago, in the midst of my morbid teenage fascination with forensics and death.
What makes the mind of a serial killer tick? Such an enticing question. There's something so foreign and monstrous about someone who kills carefully, methodically, and with pleasure.
Maybe it's equally interesting to see how we "normal" types are so fascinated by serial killers. Perhaps we are really the ones who should be submitting to a psychologist's probings.
This is a breezy look at serial murder, an overview of various methods, terminology, and infamous perpetrators. If you want a deeper dive into the psychology of a serial killer, you'll want to look elsewhere. But if you're interested in the topic and want to familiarize yourself with some of the "big ones", or if you want a take that isn't 100% oppressive, you can give this a try. To be clear, there is still plenty to cringe at within. (Recalling my previous read, I skipped the entry on Albert Fisch. He is, in my opinion, the most reprehensible man to have ever lived. I don't think I could have stomached reading about him for a second time.) -
I enjoyed this book. It took me a long time to get through, as I was compelled to do some research on my own. I actually like the book by Brian Lane and Wilfred Gregg a bit better. I feel as though it has more in depth info about the individual serial murderers whereas Schecter's book offers just a brief view of the notorious killers. An added bonus of Schecter's, though, is his insight into aspects of serial murder such as "groupies" and "disposal." In his book, I was a bit bothered by his overuse of the word "annals," although that is just me nit picking. He references Grace Budd (Albert Fish)and refers to her as 12 years old several times; however, all of my previous knowledge and research show she was 10 at the time of her death. Since Schecter is known as an expert in this field, I wonder if he knows something different or if his information is incorrect. If it is the latter, perhaps there are other informational errors. Other than that, I really delved into this book and found it to be informative and interesting!
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I seriously wanted to be a criminal psychologist for a good amount of time, and during those first months of deciding I wanted to pursue it, I read A LOT of true crime and nonfiction on the subject, including this one and many others.
This book covers the basics and the more complex info behind many well known serial killers. From the triad (bed wetting, animal torture, etc...) to the more disturbing insights into the Boston Strangler and his calling card. Disturbing, yes, but also super informative.
Was it the best, most thorough book I read in the subject, no, but I still keep it shelved as one I pull out and share with friends and family who are also interested in True Crime. -
I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings but this encyclopedia is like a lexical field of serial killing and killers. For example:
A: axe murderers
B: Body
C characteristics
D : Definition
E: execution
etc...
the book contains also a briefing about the most notorious serial killers : Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, Jack the ripper ...
As a first encounter with books of crime, the book could be an entry to the world of crimes and serial killers. -
This encyclopedia contains a lot of interesting information. However, the writers spend way too much time on Albert Fish and Ed Gein, but end up just kind of repeating the same information over and over about other killers. I'd also be interested to see what an updated version of this would look like, as so much has changed in the world of true crime since the late 1990s.
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Very good beginning book of serial killers. Needs to add more information to the specific serial killers themselves instead of just a glancing over of them but considering it's a brief encylopedia it's not bad.
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3.5 stars. Overall very informative and I liked how some of the things were divided. However, it had a lot of repetition and while it helped me remember it also got very tedious after a certain point.
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I found this at a thrift shop and decided to get it to go with all my true crime podcasts. Since it was in the 90s it's a out of date and there is a lot more information that could be added/fixed but overall a lot of information in it.
3.5/5
