Prisoners Of The Tower: The Tower Of London As A State Prison, 1100-1941 by Clare Murphy

Prisoners Of The Tower: The Tower Of London As A State Prison, 1100-1941 Reviews

• 
  Tahera

  This 80 page book manages to give enough information about one of the most famous buildings and a symbol of state authority in Britain--The Tower of London. From the case studies of some of its most famous prisoners to its different functions as a state prison, fortress and an abode for kings and queens to the different myths and legends surrounding the place, especially in respect to the murders/ beheading/ tortures of the different prisoners, this book basically does its level best to cover all these aspects of this famous building. The photographs, illustrations and paintings included in this book are excellent.
• 
  Dean

  For a book of just 80 pages, including plenty of illustrations and side notes, this does a decent job of covering its subject. With no intention of being exhaustive, it gives a good introduction, or overview, to the prisoners and their captors in the Tower.
  It’s the sort of book that should send you off in different directions after reading, to further learn and explore the subject. For what this book is, I found it interesting, well written, packed with useful facts and figures, and a useful initial reference tool. I learned a few new things by the books end, which surprised me in a good way.
  Recommended for the amateur enthusiast, or those just starting an interest in the subject.
• 
  Ruth Sapp

  I really like it.......a little technical but loved the history!
• 
  Bookworm Erica

  I really liked this Really technical and I hope I remember more than I think I do from it lol definite reread before a return trip to London!
• 
  Ellen

  A sound history lesson and a reminder of just how complex and bloody the British kingdom was.
• 
  Lauren

  Well that ending was abrupt.
  
  I can’t say I enjoyed this. But when it comes to nonfiction, I don’t like to base my rating strictly on enjoyment, but also based on how well of a job I think the author did explaining the information. In this case, it was a fine job, but not a spectacular one.
  
  My lack of complete enjoyment was partially, if not mostly, due to my lack of understanding what this would be about. Based on the title, I assumed this was going to give us the history of famous Tower of London prisoners, how they ended up at the tower, if they were executed, etc. There were a couple pages throughout of case studies that contained those things I mentioned, but it was mainly more of a history of the tower itself, and how it came to be a state prison. Amongst other things, such as who often did the torturing, what devices were used, etc.
  
  All in all, it was useful, but not enjoyable. At least not totally.
• 
  David Fulmer

  This guidebook which I purchased at the Tower of London is not a comprehensive guide to the Tower but rather a themed account of the history of the Tower of London as a prison. As such, it focuses on the distant past - the last prisoner held there was Rudolph Hess in 1941 - and tells its story using etchings, paintings, diaries, and mostly very old documents and images. It covers only very briefly the many political and religious conflicts that led to imprisonment, sketches out some of the executions, and describes some of the torture techniques that were used only during roughly one of the eight centuries of imprisonment in the Tower. It’s good for what it is but I think if you have a strong interest in this content you would want something longer and deeper than these 4 essays, assorted pictures, and breakout biographies of about a dozen of the prisoners.
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  Madame Jane

  Informative, but I didn't like the layout of the book.