Historical Madmen

Author: (American) Hook, translated by Wu Yiting, translated and proofread by Huang Ruorong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-02-01
Features: This book defines madness in a broad sense. It includes clinical insanity, legal insanity, and temporary mental derangement, but most of the people here are those who dedicate their lives to a certain idea or political goal. Some have drastically changed the course of history with their actions, while others have merely altered the flow of time, but each has left a unique mark on human history. The book is divided into three parts: Tyrants; Assassins; Executioners, Lackeys, and Mystics. Many rulers can be categorized as tyrants, so this book is limited to the most prominent figures of the past five centuries. Assassins are not lacking, but the author believes it is necessary to record all the assassins of U.S. presidents. The purpose of introducing Denner and the Three Islands is to show that madness is not exclusive to whites, and the purpose of introducing Charlotte Corday is to prove that madness is not exclusive to men. "Madmen in History" is history, not fiction, although sometimes people arbitrarily embellish a person or event in it. Is there a better way to understand history through biographies? I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Professor Rosa Kahn, for the many suggestions and special help she offered for the chapter on Robespierre. I am grateful to the history teacher at Trinity College, Mr. Thomas A. Champ, for reviewing the chapter on Nat Denner. I publicly thank my wife for her high-level assistance in collecting materials and for her patience and interest in offering suggestions for each chapter.