At the peak of the French Revolution, as noble aspirations began to give way to the bloodthirsty chaos of the Reign of Terror, Doctor Guillotin submitted to the National Assembly a plan for a “humanitarian” method of execution. Over the next two hundred years, until its abolition in 1981, countless numbers fell victim to the guillotine, from kings to criminals and aristocrats to anarchists. This lavishly illustrated volume explores the impact of this instrument of death on the creative imagination of some of history’s most outstanding figures, including writings from Dumas, Hugo, Tolstoy, and others who saw the device in action.