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'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.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Rachel Franks Uncovers the Life of a Hangman
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 20 no. 4 2023; (p. 609-610)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography'How do you write a biography of someone who left no archive? This is the unenviable task Rachel Franks has set for herself in this tantalising biography and social history. Unlike other well-known figures of the criminal legal system, such as Victorian prison governor John Buckley Castieau, who left diaries across his 30-year term, executioner Robert Howard’s life is discovered only through the sensationalist press, sheriff’s reports of executions, coronial inquests on the bodies of those he killed, and the series of prisoners who walked his scaffold.' (Introduction)
-
Going down Swinging
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7 May 2022; (p. 15)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography -
Dancing on Air : The Bunglings of Nosey Bob
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 442 2022; (p. 20)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography'When the offer came to review this book, I accepted enthusiastically, and unthinkingly added, ‘That sounds fun!’. Upon reflection, I deleted that last sentence: what would it say about me, I wondered, that I should expect the account of a hangman and his work to be entertaining? I thought better of the sentence, but the anticipation remained.'(Introduction)
-
Dancing on Air : The Bunglings of Nosey Bob
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 442 2022; (p. 20)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography'When the offer came to review this book, I accepted enthusiastically, and unthinkingly added, ‘That sounds fun!’. Upon reflection, I deleted that last sentence: what would it say about me, I wondered, that I should expect the account of a hangman and his work to be entertaining? I thought better of the sentence, but the anticipation remained.'(Introduction)
-
Going down Swinging
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7 May 2022; (p. 15)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography -
Rachel Franks Uncovers the Life of a Hangman
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 20 no. 4 2023; (p. 609-610)
— Review of An Uncommon Hangman : The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard 2022 single work biography'How do you write a biography of someone who left no archive? This is the unenviable task Rachel Franks has set for herself in this tantalising biography and social history. Unlike other well-known figures of the criminal legal system, such as Victorian prison governor John Buckley Castieau, who left diaries across his 30-year term, executioner Robert Howard’s life is discovered only through the sensationalist press, sheriff’s reports of executions, coronial inquests on the bodies of those he killed, and the series of prisoners who walked his scaffold.' (Introduction)
Awards
- 2023 winner The Danger Prize — People's Choice
- 2023 longlisted Davitt Award — Best Debut
- 2023 longlisted Davitt Award — Best True Crime Book
