Whack Job
A History of Axe Murder
Published on 22. May 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-83773-328-6 (ISBN)
Description
A brilliant and bloody examination of the axe's foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, splashed across newspaper headlines and popular culture.
For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill.
Much like the wheel, the boat, and the telephone, the axe is a transformative piece of technology ? one that has been with us since prehistory. And just as early humans used the axe to chop down trees, hunt for food, and whittle tools, they also used it to murder. Over time, this particular use has endured: as the axe evolved over centuries to fit the needs of new agricultural, architectural, and social development, so have our lethal uses for it.
Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, and from its use in King Henry VIII's favourite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.
For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill.
Much like the wheel, the boat, and the telephone, the axe is a transformative piece of technology ? one that has been with us since prehistory. And just as early humans used the axe to chop down trees, hunt for food, and whittle tools, they also used it to murder. Over time, this particular use has endured: as the axe evolved over centuries to fit the needs of new agricultural, architectural, and social development, so have our lethal uses for it.
Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, and from its use in King Henry VIII's favourite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.
Reviews / Votes
Put a handle on a blade and the possibilities are endless?for execution, political gain, military prowess, wanton violence. And now, in McCarthy James's expert grip, for narrative thrills! As sharply honed as its subject matter, Whack Job will leave you wanting more. * Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers * Who'd have thought that a book about axe murder could be such a delightful read? But thanks to the irrepressible, knowing voice of Rachel McCarthy James, Whack Job is a tour guide through some of history's darkest corners, where the choice of one particular weapon, evolving over time, stands in for the full, messy, bloody spectrum of human behavior. * Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita and Scoundrel * Rachel McCarthy James seizes on the humble axe to cut a fresh, wildly original trail through some 500,000 years of human history. This is lively storytelling with a delightfully wicked edge. * Daniel Stashower, New York Times bestselling author of American Demon * A lively, surprising, always-engaging exploration of a simple tool and the very complicated things that human beings do with it. If you like your true crime witty, sharp (in all senses of the word!) and historically informed, this is the book for you. * Rachel Monroe, author of Savage Appetites * In Rachel McCarthy James's Whack Job, the story of axe murder is the story of so much more. While first and foremost this is a book about the axe and its most nefarious uses, it's also a book about gender, class, and the machinations of power in human society. From the (likely) first prehistoric axe murder, to the myth of George Washington's cherry tree, to Jack Nicholson in The Shining, McCarthy James has provided her readers with a thorough yet entertaining epic of the simplest of tools. Whack Job is a brisk and lively history that mines surprising conclusions from the humble axe. * Danny Caine, author of How to Resist Amazon and Why * In Whack Job, McCarthy James leads us through half-million years of human life, from the Middle Pleistocene to the present, chronicling ever-changing societal and technological advancements?all through the prism of one of civilization's earliest-known weapons. Whack Job is an entirely fresh perspective on global history, and also accomplishes the neat trick of being an entertaining delight. * Elon Green, author of Last Call * [A] fun, snappy, and richly researched history... McCarthy James helps us understand the axe as a tool intimately tied to both survival and violent death throughout human existence. Who knew reading about 430,000 year-old head trauma could be this fun? * Gabrielle Moss, author of Paperback Crush * Gleefully grisly ... a bit of macabre fun. * Publishers Weekly * An engrossing historical analysis. * Booklist * Intriguing ... sure to provide a little something for a wide range of readers * Library Journal * What's not to love about a brief history of axe murders that's part true crime, part anthropology, part material history? Going all the way back to the crude, pre-historic hand axe (basically a sharp rock), McCarthy James examines how easily a tool becomes a weapon, and why we find it so compelling * Lithub * Whack Job chronicles the bloody and fascinating history of this versatile tool and the people who wield it * New York Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Duxford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 163 mm
Width: 244 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
556 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83773-328-6 (9781837733286)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
RACHEL MCCARTHY JAMES was born and raised in Kansas, the daughter of baseball's Bill James and artist Susan McCarthy. She graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, where she studied writing and politics. Her first nonfiction book, The Man from the Train, was written in collaboration with her father and published in 2017. She lives with her husband Jason and pets in Lawrence, KS.