Torture has a way of making the ordinary seem sinister. Objects that are pleasurable or useful in their everyday contexts, have all been deployed with chilling ingenuity by the world's torturers in recent times.

From Ancient Egypt to the current War on Terror, and including the Roman Empire, the Colonial Period, Nazi Germany, Vietnam and South America, this fully illustrated book will examine what constitutes torture, the etymology of torture terms, whether torture can ever be justified and whether it can ever be said to be successful. Through 15 removable facsimile items, Torture will also explore the various means of torture that have been employed, national and international laws concerning torture and the effects of torture to reveal the human face of this shocking practice.