The Book of Assassins: A Biographical Dictionary from Ancient Times to the Present

Rating:
Summary: With more info and illustrations, this could be excellent
Review: A reference guide to assassins is an excellent idea, but this work does not live up to what can be a very intriguing book. It is printed on cheap production paper with no illustrations. Most of the entries are one page. A plus is that there are many obscure figures included that most readers have never heard of, but there is scant info on them whereas Lee Harvey Oswald, about whom most people already know plenty, has 9 pages. One other plus is that each entry includes a list of further references so, if readers are intrigued by a specific assassin's tale, they have at least one source to go to for more info. There is also an index on the victims in the back. Shop around for the best deal on this book and it will probably be worth it for anyone interested in assassins.

Rating:
Summary: With more info and illustrations, this could be excellent
Review: A reference guide to assassins is an excellent idea, but this work does not live up to what can be a very intriguing book. It is printed on cheap production paper with no illustrations. Most of the entries are one page. A plus is that there are many obscure figures included that most readers have never heard of, but there is scant info on them whereas Lee Harvey Oswald, about whom most people already know plenty, has 9 pages. One other plus is that each entry includes a list of further references so, if readers are intrigued by a specific assassin's tale, they have at least one source to go to for more info. There is also an index on the victims in the back. Shop around for the best deal on this book and it will probably be worth it for anyone interested in assassins.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Not many books in a dictionary format are enjoyable to read. For me, this book was one of those few, wonderful exceptions. The information is concise, and most entries list references and other source material for those who are interested to persue. I have to rate it lower than I would like (3 instead of 4) just due to the numerous typos that exist throughout. Hopefully these will be cleaned up in another revision, as nonfiction works are hurt more by these grammatical errors than fiction items.