| Introduction | p. xv |
| Preface to the 1961 Edition | p. xxv |
| Fashions in Execution | p. 3 |
| English Neck-Breaking the Best | p. 4 |
| Praise for Hangmen | p. 5 |
| A Calm Consideration of Hanging | p. 6 |
| Hanging as a Fine Art | p. 7 |
| Hangman an Artist | p. 8 |
| Sheer Beauty of Hanging | p. 9 |
| British Hangmen Poor but Honest | p. 10 |
| Hangman a Man of Many Parts | p. 12 |
| Hangman a Brave Man | p. 13 |
| Hangmen Make Mistakes: John Lee | p. 14 |
| John Lee Saved by Rain! | p. 15 |
| To Err is Human... | p. 16 |
| Open Competition and Examination for the Post | p. 17 |
| Charming Personality of Hangmen | p. 19 |
| A Uniform for Hangmen | p. 20 |
| Famous Case Quoted | p. 21 |
| Conditioning for Hanging | p. 23 |
| No Ill-Will in Hanging | p. 24 |
| Bungled Hangings | p. 25 |
| Farcical Inquests and Official Secrets | p. 28 |
| Jurymen Must Demand Evidence | p. 29 |
| Fashions in Evidence | p. 30 |
| Is America more Civilized Than England? | p. 31 |
| Broadcasting the Neck-Breaking | p. 33 |
| Murders Known to the Police: Statistics | p. 36 |
| Anatomy of English Murders | p. 36 |
| A General Picture and the Dilemma | p. 37 |
| House of Lords a Sure Preventive of Abolition | p. 39 |
| A History of the Anti-Hanging Crusade | p. 40 |
| Capital Punishment Abolished! | p. 40 |
| No Increase in the Number of Murders After Abolition | p. 42 |
| English Hanging "Done on the Sly" | p. 45 |
| Why Not Hang in Public? | p. 45 |
| Make Hangings More Impressive | p. 46 |
| Decline in Hanging | p. 47 |
| Increase in Law: Decrease in Virtue | p. 48 |
| Vested Interests in Hanging | p. 49 |
| Mercy a Dangerous Thing | p. 50 |
| Consult the Hangman | p. 51 |
| Dead Men Tell No Tales | p. 52 |
| Chance of Errors Reduced to a Minimum | p. 53 |
| Hanging a "Ritual Sacrifice" | p. 54 |
| Hanging and Ritualism | p. 55 |
| Extraordinary Case of Derek Bentley | p. 56 |
| The Writing on the Wall | p. 57 |
| Party Politics and Hanging | p. 58 |
| More Mistakes of Hangmen | p. 59 |
| Fun for the Hangman | p. 60 |
| Always Hang Women | p. 61 |
| Romance in a Butcher's Shop | p. 62 |
| A Hypothetical Murder | p. 63 |
| The End of a Dream | p. 63 |
| Popularity of Murder Trials | p. 64 |
| Plan to Lower the Income Tax | p. 65 |
| Hanged for Sheer Stupidity | p. 67 |
| A Book Against Hanging! | p. 68 |
| Depressing Side of Hanging | p. 69 |
| A Famous Modern Hangman | p. 70 |
| The Great Hangman Interviewed | p. 71 |
| Pride in Profession | p. 73 |
| Love Versus Career | p. 74 |
| More Difficult to Hang One Woman Than Two Men! | p. 74 |
| A New Orientation in Capital Punishment | p. 75 |
| Executioners Are Good Christians | p. 76 |
| Digression on the Nazis | p. 77 |
| Great Era of Execution | p. 78 |
| Royal Executioners and Aristocratic Hangmen | p. 79 |
| Executioners Risk Their Lives | p. 81 |
| Drinking the Prisoner's Dope | p. 83 |
| Imported Hangmen | p. 83 |
| Sporting Instinct of the Greeks | p. 84 |
| Hangman Who Hanged His Brother | p. 85 |
| On His Majesty's Service | p. 87 |
| The Press and Crime | p. 87 |
| Hints for Editors | p. 88 |
| Making Crime Pay | p. 91 |
| Memoirs of the Hanged | p. 91 |
| The "Hangman's Record" Quoted | p. 92 |
| Hangman's Magazine | p. 93 |
| The Pierrepoint Papers Quoted | p. 95 |
| The Condemned Man | p. 97 |
| Note on the Literature of Hanging | p. 98 |
| Hanging on Stage and Screen | p. 100 |
| Still More Mistakes of Hangmen | p. 101 |
| All Sorts Make Mistakes--Even Experts | p. 103 |
| Hangmen Not Concerned With Errors of Courts | p. 104 |
| Hanging in the U.S.A. | p. 105 |
| The Six Who Were Hanged | p. 107 |
| Death Never Instantaneous | p. 110 |
| Saving "L'Honneur De La Belle France" | p. 112 |
| Disgraceful Plagiarism Exposed | p. 113 |
| Electrocution Is Torture | p. 115 |
| A Needle Through the Head | p. 118 |
| The Rosenbergs | p. 119 |
| U.S.A.: Abolition and Caryl Chessman | p. 121 |
| Wider Moral of the Chessman Case | p. 122 |
| The Death of Chessman | p. 123 |
| Ugly Stain on Civilization | p. 124 |
| Honors for Hangmen | p. 124 |
| Who Ought to Be Hanged? | p. 125 |
| George Bernard Shaw Quoted | p. 126 |
| Professor Dr. Joad, Wit and Philosopher | p. 127 |
| The Great Nuremberg Hangings | p. 129 |
| Defense of a Choice Hangman | p. 131 |
| The Executioner Who Works From a Desk | p. 133 |
| Anti-Hanging Campaigns | p. 135 |
| Lord Templewood on Hanging | p. 137 |
| April 1948: House of Commons Against Hanging! | p. 138 |
| House of Lords to the Rescue | p. 139 |
| Judicial Psychology | p. 141 |
| Hanging in Suspense | p. 143 |
| Post-War Crimes--the Cause | p. 144 |
| U.S.S.R.--Death Penalty Abolished! | p. 145 |
| Soviet Decree of May 1961 | p. 147 |
| Roman Catholics and State Killing | p. 149 |
| Note on Hanging, Drawing, and Quartering | p. 151 |
| Hanging Etc., Bulwarks of the Constitution | p. 153 |
| England's Official Church Favors Hanging | p. 154 |
| England's Public Hangings | p. 155 |
| The Bold Fenian Men of Oul' Ireland | p. 156 |
| Account of England's Last Public Hanging | p. 157 |
| Hangmen Born, Not Made | p. 159 |
| Hangman's Verses for His Client | p. 161 |
| The Scienza Nuova | p. 162 |
| A Wicked Calumny Refuted | p. 163 |
| Spilsbury on the Drop | p. 166 |
| Hand-in-Hand With Science | p. 167 |
| Hanging, Flogging, War, and Sadism | p. 168 |
| The Late Mr. Berry on Hanging | p. 170 |
| Vital Importance of the Drop | p. 170 |
| Mr. Marwood--Pioneer of the New Science | p. 171 |
| A Rough Working List of Drops | p. 172 |
| Doctor's Advice on Hanging | p. 173 |
| The Goodale Mess Explained | p. 173 |
| Doctor Who Erred | p. 174 |
| A Hangman's Diploma | p. 175 |
| How Hanging Kills | p. 177 |
| Note on Pinioning | p. 177 |
| Note on Scaffolds | p. 178 |
| Hangman Describes Hanging | p. 178 |
| An "Order to Hang" | p. 179 |
| The Holy Procession | p. 180 |
| Last Scene of All | p. 181 |
| Those Last Fleeting Hours | p. 182 |
| Hangman Shakes Hands and Gets Busy | p. 183 |
| Fabulous Speed of English Hangings | p. 183 |
| Scaffold Unaffected By Progress, Revolutions, or Select Committees | p. 184 |
| Britain Stands By Her Hangmen | p. 186 |
| The Last Certificate | p. 186 |
| The New Homicide Act of 1957 | p. 187 |
| No Hangings: No Increase in Murders! | p. 188 |
| The New Sexual Offenses Act | p. 190 |
| Campaign for More Hanging: 1960's | p. 191 |
| England's Defeat Not Always a Victory | p. 192 |
| Homosexuality in England and France | p. 193 |
| Conclusion | p. 194 |
| A Ready Reckoner for Hangmen | p. 197 |
| Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
