Colin Wilson

Damon Wilson

A treasure trove for armchair detectives. Examines oddities and raises questions about facts always taken for granted.

The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Mysteries

Human beings have always been cruel, savage, and murderous. Is that all about to change? Human history can be seen as a catalog of coldhearted murders, mindless blood feuds, appalling massacres, and devastating wars. Creatively and intellectually, there is no other species that has ever come close to equaling humanity’s achievements, but neither is any other species as suicidally prone to internecine conflict. We are the only species on the planet whose ingrained habit of conflict and perpetual warfare constitutes the chief threat to our own survival. In An End to Murder, the Wilsons assess whether human beings are in reality as cruel and violent as is generally believed. The book explores the possibility that humankind is on the verge of a fundamental change: that we are about to become truly civilized. Covering a wide-reaching history of violence from the first hominids to the twenty-first century, the book touches on key moments of change while also indicating where things have not changed since the Stone Age. It follows the history of violence from fifteenth-century baron Gilles de Rais (“Bluebeard”), the first known and possibly most prolific serial killer in history; to Victorian domestic murder, the invention of psychiatry, Sherlock Holmes, and the invention of forensic science; the fifteenth-century Taiping Rebellion in China, in which more than twenty million died; World Wars I and II; more recent genocides and instances of “ethnic cleansing”; and contemporary terrorism. As well as offering an overview of violence throughout our history, the authors explore the latest psychological, forensic, and social attempts to understand and curb modern human violence.

A Criminologist's View of Violence Throughout History

An End to Murder

Provides insight into a variety of notorius criminals and their crimes, including Scott Peterson, the Columbine killers, and Ted Kaczynski, along with fascimiles of removable evidence from their casefiles.

Inside the Minds of Today's Deadliest Criminals

The Crime Archives

Carlton Books

Oliver Cyriax

An encyclopedia of crime, this title covers the entire gamut of crime, from assassinations to kidnapping, serial killers to art forgeries. It is illustrated with 250 black and white photos throughout.

The Encyclopedia of Crime

The renowned criminologist and author of The Outsider delivers a penetrating study of serial killers as a uniquely modern phenomenon. In this fascinating study, Colin Wilson explores the roots of the serial killer mindset, and the origins of this terrifying modern personality. The term "serial killer" is still relatively new, coined by the FBI to describe those who murder repeatedly and obsessively, usually with a sexual motive. Who are these killers? What social and psychological pressures drive them to their crimes? Can we understand and learn to predict their behavior? Wilson offers revealing profiles of some of the most infamous killers in modern history: from Jack the Ripper to Jeffrey Dahmer, the monster of Milwaukee; Reginald Christie to Dennis Nilsen, who killed for company; the Boston Strangler to Donald Gaskins, who murdered more than 100 victims; as well as Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker and many more.

The Rise and Rise of Serial Killing in the Modern Age

A Plague of Murder

The Encyclopedia of Crime is an authoritative, wide-ranging and engaging history of the world's most famous crimes and criminals. Entries are presented alphabetically making this vast compendium an easy-to-use reference. In-depth portraits of true crime's most extraordinary characters are here, from serial rapists to glamorous gangsters, from ruthless killers to train robbers. Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, Ruth Ellis, Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, the Krays, Harold Shipman - three specialist authors describe the captivating stories that lie behind such infamous names. Criminal activities and techniques are explored, revealing an extraordinary range of weapons, along with a thorough investigation in to the science of crime, from footprints to genetic fingerprinting. The development of methods to bring justice to convicted criminals is covered, as are the exciting tales of the lucky few who have made famous escapes, for example from Alcatraz or Dartmoor. Fully updated for 2008, The Encyclopedia of Crime is an essential addition to the library of any true crime aficionado.

Rowan Wilson

World Famous Crimes of Passion

When passions run high, spurned lovers can act without a thought for the consequence. Crimes of Passion chronicles over 60 emotionally charged cases in which the heart ruled the head, invariably with fatal consequence.

The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Crimes of Passion

Eliot Higgins

Alina Polyakova

Maksymilian Czuperski

Russia's War in Ukraine

Hiding in Plain Sight

All it takes is a kitchen knife, a heavy object from the mantel, or a gun from the bedside cabinet. Jealousy, revenge, and lust are the oldest motives for murder. When passions run high, spurned lovers can act without thought. Crimes of Passion chronicles over 80 cases in which the heart ruled the head with fatal consequences. Some are spur-of-the-moment rages from betrayed partners that have elicited sympathy from judge and jury; others are planned acts of revenge that have shown and received no mercy; and some remain unsolved.

Strange Vanishings

A sangre fría

Il grande libro dei misteri irrisolti

Ian Schott

Meet history's most evil personalities in this encyclopedia of infamy from Vlad the Impaler to the psychopathic serial murderers of today.

The Giant Book of Bad Guys

Written in an authoritative and engaging style, updated to include criminals such as Josef Fritzl, 'The Encyclopedia of Crime' is a detailed and thorough reference book for any crime enthusiast

Over fifty of the most fascinating accounts of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Did werewolves roam the countryside of fifteenth century France? What exactly is El Chupacabra, a creature whose name translates to “The Goat Sucker” in English? What phantoms and apparitions drift the halls of Borley Rectory, earning it the nickname of “The Most Haunted House in England”? Featuring maps, callouts, and facts that locate these mysterious happenings, Strange is a groundbreaking book and the first of its kind. In this riveting account of history’s most baffling mysteries, two of the world’s leading authorities on the supernatural, writer Colin Wilson and his son, Damon, search for the elusive answers to the most puzzling questions of the all time—from the fate of Atlantis to the curses of the ancient Egyptians to the Bermuda Triangle. Dozens of mysteries, some that have puzzled scientists and thinkers for centuries, are collected, illustrated, and explained in this captivating—and chilling—book. Lavishly illustrated and expertly written, Strange continues the Wilsons’ quest for answers to the great mysteries of the universe, taking readers on a journey beyond the imagination where fact seems stranger than fiction.

Damon Wilson

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