BT: Tyrants

This week I read a delightful nonfiction book called Tyrants: History's 100 Most Evil Despots & Dictators. It was written by Nigel Cawthorne. I love reading about political history and I think most people interested in history are strangely fascinated by the seemingly psychotic and infamous rulers of the past, from Napoleon to Hitler.
Set in chronological order, this book covers leaders from the ancient to the modern world. The book was originally published in 2004 but I read the 2012 edition so it was a bit more updated.
Tyrants gives a short biography on each leader covered but mostly focuses on the leadership style, "accomplishments," and crimes. I found it a fascinating read. It gave just enough information to make you want to read more about the people listed. I also learned about several leaders I had never even heard of before. Overall, I liked the writing style: quick and concise. Although, sometimes I wish the author had spent more time on some leaders, and, in my opinion, had left some out. For example, there were only a few paragraphs on Kim Il Sung, without even an individual article for Kim Jong Il. If this book was updated in 2012, then Kim Jong Un was already in power and by that time there had been several books published with more information on North Korea. Although, I suppose it was up to the author's discretion to pick which dictators he felt were the worst. Another thing that was strange was the publishing. There were multiple errors, like letters missing in words, that seemed strange to me. Again, that seems more like a publishing error. I still wouldn't discount this book as having useful information. The author notes that any over-the-top stories about any of the leaders lacking evidence as just rumors and not actual historical fact.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Tyrants. It was interesting and informative. For anyone interested in political history or history in general, this book is a good starting off point for more research. Plus, who doesn't want to know all the ways Elizabeth Bathory tortured her servants or the many creative ways Genghis Khan killed people? Happy reading!