Product Description

The line between pain and pleasure is as thin as the tail of a whip, and this classic work is the definitive history of flagellation through the ages. As it shows, flagellation is much more than a punishment - it is also intimately tied to discipline and eroticism, has a romantic and even comic side, and has also been used for medical purposes. No one is above the bite of the birch or rod - convent nuns were chastised severely, queens have been flogged, and even favorites of the sultan have had to endure the whip in the great seraglios. The author deals in great detail with whipping in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, the favorite parts of the body for whipping, flagellation and discipline in monasteries and convents, whipping in prisons, the rod in Russia, flagellation in America, whipping in Europe and the Far East, the flogging of slaves, military flogging, school punishments, and the birch in the boudoir, all enlivened with colorful anecdotes. There is a chapter on the instruments of whipping, a selection of ribald and erotic poems on whipping, a section on eccentric forms of whipping such as that practiced on prostitutes, many detailed line drawings, descriptive accounts, and a full index. The work shows the fundamental place whipping has always played in human history, both publicly and in private, and continues to play today.

The late Reverend William M. Cooper was an expert on the history of flagellation and discipline.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1043859 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 596 pages

About the Author
The late Reverend William M. Cooper was an expert on the history of flagellation and discipline.

Customer Reviews

Great book, but very overpriced
This book is a classic on the subject of corporal punishment. It was published somewhere in the 19th century, and there have been several reprints in the 20th century. This edition is a facsimile reprint of the (original ?) 19th century edition. The editorial review gives a good description of the contents, and since it is a classic, there is really no point in making a review on the contents. If you are interested in the subject, this is one of the very few books you can buy. Since it was written in a period that corporal punishment was very normal, the contents did not suffer under Political Correct censorship. Although it is a well produced high quality book, the price of $... is a bit very steep. Unless you can buy it for considerably lower price (like I did) I would advice you to buy another edition of the same book. There is a much cheaper soft cover version from another publisher.

Encyclopedic
William M. Cooper is a master of his subject. This book is a toprate work of history, albeit on a narrow aspect of history, corporal punishment. The book lives up to its ambition of giving an account of the history of corporal punishment i all parts of the world, from ancient times up to the 19th century, when the book was written.