Description

Book Synopsis
This is the story of Robert Rice Howard (1832–1906), the man known as Nosey Bob. It is also an important chapter in the story of the changing attitudes towards capital punishment in Australia, as the country transformed from generally enthusiastic spectators at executions into campaigners for the abolition of the death penalty. These interconnected stories are told through the men, and the one woman, who met Nosey Bob under the worst possible circumstances between his first employment by the Department of Justice in 1876 and his retirement as the executioner for New South Wales in 1904.

Once a household name, Nosey Bob was the most infamous public servant in Sydney: a noseless hangman who sparked fear and fascination everywhere he went. Howard has only ever been cast as an extra in someone else's play, making frightening appearances in a felon's final scene on the gallows. Here, for the first time, he has taken the lead.

Trade Review
'Franks displays wit, writerly sensitivity and a scholar's rigour.'— Peter Doyle

'Riveting, startling and brimming with powerful insights.'— Grace Karskens

An Uncommon Hangman: The life and deaths of

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by Rachel Franks

    £19.76

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    RRP £21.95 – you save £2.19 (9%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Tue 8 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher NewSouth Publishing
      Published 1 May 2022
      ISBN-13 9781742237343
      978-1742237343
      ISBN-10 1742237347
      Also in:
      True crime Penology and punishment

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      This is the story of Robert Rice Howard (1832–1906), the man known as Nosey Bob. It is also an important chapter in the story of the changing attitudes towards capital punishment in Australia, as the country transformed from generally enthusiastic spectators at executions into campaigners for the abolition of the death penalty. These interconnected stories are told through the men, and the one woman, who met Nosey Bob under the worst possible circumstances between his first employment by the Department of Justice in 1876 and his retirement as the executioner for New South Wales in 1904.

      Once a household name, Nosey Bob was the most infamous public servant in Sydney: a noseless hangman who sparked fear and fascination everywhere he went. Howard has only ever been cast as an extra in someone else's play, making frightening appearances in a felon's final scene on the gallows. Here, for the first time, he has taken the lead.

      Trade Review
      'Franks displays wit, writerly sensitivity and a scholar's rigour.'— Peter Doyle

      'Riveting, startling and brimming with powerful insights.'— Grace Karskens

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