Manacles Of The World by T. L. Gross

Reviewed by Jamy Ian Swiss (originally published in Genii September, 1998)

The author describes this wellproduced monograph as "the only comprehensive collector's guide on the subject of handcuffs, leg irons and other metallic restraints," and who am I to argue? The nine chapters present a well-organized array of varieties depicted, accompanied by in-depth historical facts and other details that is utterly remarkable, in the way that makes you happy just to know that somebody in the world knows this much about something that most of us know little or nothing about. Did you know that the contemporary "swing-through" style of handcuff was not developed until 1 912, and finally solved the problem of premature locking that previous designs suffered from, often preventing a peace officer from gaining quick access to an unlocked pair of cuffs? You can find out more about that and plenty else in this book, inarguably a bargain at the price.