Our new history podcast series, History Books, starts with the book Last Words of the Executed by Robert K. Elder.

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But firstly, just what is History Books?!

Well, the series will feature readings from a variety of history related books about different topics in history. From the Nazis to Abraham Lincoln, and Gulags to prisoners in Italy in World War II, we will provide you with something different and intriguing in each episode.

This episode of History Books...

And in this episode we look at a book that is a fascinating read and a great historical document – Last Words of the Executed. It pulls together the last words of those people who were killed by the government in America for their crimes from the 17th century onwards. It starts by discussing why we would want to know the last words of those who have committed the most heinous crimes possible in society, and briefly looks at the history of the death penalty. And that is where we begin this audio podcast…