Recently in Self Promotion Category
If Torture is good for America, Erik Ruhling has just written the new Constitution! Join A Cappella Books to celebrate a night that promises to be nothing like water boarding.Featuring ... INFERNAL DEVICE : Machinery of Torture & Execution, by Erik Ruhling
Torture has come back into the public spotlight thanks to recent actions by the US Government. But do you remember when torture was fun? Back when torture wasn't something we actually did, but read about in association with the Inquisition. Even Mel Brooks wrote a song extolling the virtues of a little pressure applied just right.
Back in the day, torture was a colorful profession. The names of those machines conjure vivid images. The Cat's Paw, The Heretic's Fork, The Mute's Bridle and The Spanish Tickler are just a few of the apparatus on display in Erik Ruhling's new book, Infernal Device: Machinery of Torture & Execution.
A Cappella Books celebrates the publication of Atlanta resident's Erik Ruhling's new book with an evening of music and mayhem at the Alcove Gallery in Avondale Estates. A Cappella favorite, Hub Cap City, will provide the musical entertainment.
"Now seems like the right time to look beyond the rhetoric and PC language and see what the history of torture can tell us about today's experience in our war on terror," says Frank Reiss, owner of A Cappella Books. "I also think the night's going to be a lot of fun."
In Infernal Device: Machinery of Torture & Execution ,Erik Ruhling assembles an unmatched array of torture tools invented exclusively for the infliction of pain and the ending of life, each carefully researched with an accompanying full-color, highly detailed rendering.
SPONSORED BY ... A CAPELLA BOOKS
GALLERY HOURS : WED-SAT 12pm-7pm / SUN 12pm-4pm
2852 East College Ave Decatur GA 30030 [In between James Joyce Pub / Waffle House]
Posted here is an mp3 recording of an interview on CJAD/CFRB Montreal/Toronto with Peter Anthony Holder, which was broadcast last Wednesday morning (1:30 AM to about 2:00 AM). We talk about the book and some of the more bizarre devices. Take a listen, Peter is a great interviewer and his show is fun and interesting; focusing on unusual stories of the day...I'm doing a (I believe) pre-recorded interview with Sean Moncrieff today, for later airing. Will post later with further details.I will be interviewed this morning at 9:00 AM EST on WKBN 570 out of Youngstown, Ohio by Rob Mangino. It will be a short discussion about "Infernal Device" and various torture devices. You may listen live here.
An interview with my publisher has been posted at Disinformation's webpage. We talk a little about the process of creating Infernal Device, as well as some of the more infamous and horrible devices; the readers' favorite and my favorites. Near the end, we discuss some of the more bizarre emails I've received over the years.
Besides the pretty graph at Charteo.us that I can check from time to time, I've found another way to look at the 'sales' of Infernal Device. According to this post, I can check the sales data through the Ingram Book Group, a wholesaler of books, and multiply by six (or ten) to get to a rough estimate of copies sold.
So here's the data:
Inventory:
0 copies in warehouses (makes sense; it's not due until mid-November)
200 copies ordered
34 copies backordered
Sales:
41 unadjusted demand
127 last week adjusted demand
0 sales this year
So what does it all mean? Who knows - but that Charteo.us graph is pretty.
So here's the data:
Inventory:
0 copies in warehouses (makes sense; it's not due until mid-November)
200 copies ordered
34 copies backordered
Sales:
41 unadjusted demand
127 last week adjusted demand
0 sales this year
So what does it all mean? Who knows - but that Charteo.us graph is pretty.
All of the images and text contained in this website remain the sole
property of me, Erik Ruhling. The images found in the 'Infernal Device' database may be used in an
educational setting free of charge with an appropriate attribution,
i.e. "image copyright Erik Ruhling, used with permission".
High-resolution,
print quality versions of the images are also available, generally for
a nominal fee. Please contact me with your request. In the past, I have supplied images for Maxim magazine, an academic book, and a traveling exhibition of torture methods and devices. I can also be persuaded to create custom images - drop me a line and make your request!
What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than with the Torture Device Coloring Book? Inside you'll find 20 black & white line-art drawings ready for coloring (with crayons or any other substance). Each illustration is accompanied by a short paean to the implement - for example, this little ditty goes along with the Interrogation Chair (pictured on cover):Relax here a bit,What are you waiting for? Get those thumbscrews off and start coloring!
May we make a suggestion?
Count the spikes in your flesh,
or answer the question.
The first appearance in print of images from Infernal Device are in this book written by Professor Jarosław Warylewski, Dean of Faculty of Law and Administration at Gdansk University.
Professor Warylewski kindly provided me with a copy of the textbook in exchange for use of some of the renderings. The verdict - the book is great, and it looks like it could have been a invaluable research tool. On the other hand, I've realized that Polish is not a language you can stumble through like German or Spanish. Consonant soup!
A major surprise are some of the other images in the book. The usual woodcuts that find their way into all books dealing with torture are here, but there are quite a few new pictures and images that I had not seen before, including a nice close-up photo of a Judas Cradle and an historical illustration of a Ducking Stool in use. There are also some photos of something that looks like a kind of medieval isolation chamber, perhaps a candidate for inclusion in the database.
Professor Warylewski kindly provided me with a copy of the textbook in exchange for use of some of the renderings. The verdict - the book is great, and it looks like it could have been a invaluable research tool. On the other hand, I've realized that Polish is not a language you can stumble through like German or Spanish. Consonant soup!
A major surprise are some of the other images in the book. The usual woodcuts that find their way into all books dealing with torture are here, but there are quite a few new pictures and images that I had not seen before, including a nice close-up photo of a Judas Cradle and an historical illustration of a Ducking Stool in use. There are also some photos of something that looks like a kind of medieval isolation chamber, perhaps a candidate for inclusion in the database.