Charles Duff’s 1928 publication A Handbook on Hanging has been re-published with updates and a new introduction by journalist Christopher Hitchens. The book provides readers with a satiric look at the practice of carrying out executions. Duff writes not only of hanging, but of electrocution, decapitation, and gassing. He also takes a tongue-in-cheek look at issues such as botched executions, public response to executions, and deterrence. With factual details and notable quotations, this book focuses primarily on British history with the death penalty, but its themes are universal. (New York Review Books, 2001) See Resources.
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). NEW RESOURCES: A Handbook on Hanging. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resources-a-handbook-on-hanging
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW RESOURCES: A Handbook on Hanging.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resources-a-handbook-on-hanging.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW RESOURCES: A Handbook on Hanging.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resources-a-handbook-on-hanging. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.