Murder by Mail

The explosive history of weaponised mail over hundreds of years.

This book unfolds the gripping history of weaponised mail, offering the first-ever comprehensive exploration of this sinister phenomenon. Spanning two centuries, Murder by Mail unveils the history of postal bombs, describing the evolution of both explosives and the postal services that facilitated their deadly use. From an eighteenth-century incident involving Jonathan Swift to modern acts of terror by groups like the IRA, Suffragettes, and lone actors such as the Unabomber, it uncovers the surprising ubiquity of mail bombs.

This chronological account meticulously covers each decade, from early anarchists and world wars through the Cold War to the rise of the serial bomber. Astounding in scope, this book sheds light on the psychopathy, motivations, and political implications behind murder by mail.

The authors document campaigns of letter bombs by anarchists, fascists and national liberation movements . . . Roth and Cengiz have gone to great lengths to collect so many examples across several hundred years . . . Murder by Mail provides absorbing and grizzly insight into this centuries-old deadly tactic that has so rarely been examined. -- Kieran McConaghy Irish Times
A timely book . . . The most notable thing about the history of letter bombs is how little they’ve changed. Their basic construction has stayed the same for more than a century and remains so simple that one of the better-known bombers of recent years, the so-called MAGAbomber, Cesar Sayoc Jr., was a homeless man who built his in the back of his ramshackle Florida van. The bombers, too, seem to be drawn from the same cast of characters: terrorists, spies, jilted lovers, failed businessmen, assorted cranks. Wall Street Journal
Murder by Mail is a fascinating and well-researched account of a deadly tactic used by terrorists, criminals and others throughout history. Mitchel P. Roth and Mahmut Cengiz have uncovered long-forgotten cases from around the world where various individuals and groups have used letter and package bombs to kill and maim their victims. An impressive book that sheds light on an important topic. Jeffrey D. Simon, author of The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America’s First War against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists
Murder by Mail is a fascinating historical narrative introducing an understudied problem that finally gets the analysis it deserves. Well written and researched, this book reveals that mail can be deadly to recipients. Investigation into the history of toxic mail reveals important and often overlooked social and political movements. Louise Shelley, the Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Endowed Chair, Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC), George Mason University
According to the U.S. Postal Service the chance of opening a mail bomb is more than 10 billion to one; nor do most mail bombs explode as intended. Re-examining the history of the letter bomb, Roth and Cengiz carefully dissect a central mystery of modern terrorism: the yawning discrepancy between limited means and general effects. Unlike its occasionally gruesome subject matter, Murder by Mail represents a very welcome delivery indeed. Tim Wilson, Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St Andrews
Decades of research on political violence do not preclude me from always learning something new. Murder by Mail: A Global History of the Letter Bomb by Mitchel P. Roth and Mahmut Cengiz, two noted scholars in criminal justice, have written the definitive history of attacks delivered by post. As is often the case, the tactic is far older than we think. Their book begins with the first device in 1712 – loaded pistols rigged to fire at the recipient when the parcel was opened. Informative and a good read, Murder by Mail is destined to become the essential reference work on this unique tactic. Brian Michael Jenkins, the RAND Corporation, author of Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?

Mitchel P. Roth is professor of criminal justice and criminology at Sam Houston State University, Texas. His many books include An Eye for an Eye: A Global History of Crime and Punishment, also published by Reaktion Books. Roth is the 2020 recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for 'Superior Accomplishments in Gang Research' from the National Gang Crime Research Center and Journal of Gang Research.

Mahmut Cengiz is associate professor and research faculty at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center at George Mason University. He and Roth are co-authors of The Illicit Economy in Turkey: How Criminals, Terrorists, and the Syrian Conflict Fuel Underground Markets.

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