The Hungry Ghosts of Boggo Road: Beliefs in the Afterlife of Chinese Prisoners Executed in Queensland

(Inside History edition)

In recent years Boggo Road has gained a dubious and largely false reputation as a 'haunted' place. This book offers an original look at the subject from the perspective of traditional Chinese beliefs. Hungry Ghosts is a unique blend of Chinese philosophy and Queensland history, answering such questions as, 'what is a 'hungry ghost', 'why was one Chinese prisoner buried without his head', and 'what is the 'Black Rope Hell'?

Leonie Gane (2005)
64 pages with illustrations, endnotes and bibliography
RRP $8.00
ISBN: 978-0-9757441-4-7


Prison photo of Luk Kow, executed in 1906. (Qld State Archives)


Popular posts from this blog

The Houdini of Boggo Road: The Life and Escapades of Slim Halliday

Image
Arthur 'Slim' Halliday was the most persistent escape artist in the history of Boggo Road. Newspapers charted his life inside the notorious prison for 40 years, and he remains one of the icons of the prison. This book chronicles the prison life of Halliday and follows his progression from train fare dodger to cat burglar to murderer. It details his numerous escape attempts from the prison that he hated so much and paints a picture of a highly intelligent but troubled man. This book is an update of the 'Houdini of Boggo Road' publication from Inside History (2005). Christopher Dawson (2020) 48 pages with illustrations, endnotes and bibliography RRP: $6.00 ISBN: 978-0-9873669-6-2
Read more

Boggo Books

Image
Boggo Books is a not-for-profit publishing project based in Brisbane, Queensland. We aim to produce well-researched, accurate and affordable History publications. Explore these pages to discover our current range of titles on such subjects as prisons, suburban history, capital punishment and cemeteries. Please note: We are currently transitioning from the 'Inside History' book stock to the new 'Boggo Books' stock. The new titles will be added to this site as they become available.
Read more

Illustrated Dictionary of Prison Language, Slang and Flash

Image
(Inside History edition) Do you know what a ‘boob gun’ is? How about 'burgoo’, ‘chocolate frog’, ‘peter thief’ or ‘shiv’? This illustrated dictionary introduces the reader to the language of the Australian prison world. The slang, jargon and official terminology described in these pages was used in the various gaols at Boggo Road, Brisbane. Features over 600 words from 19th and 20th century prisons, and the 'flash' language of the Australian convict era. Christopher Dawson (2007) 56 pages with illustrations and bibliography Only $7.00 ISBN: 978-0-9757441-8-5 Head louse, known as a 'boobie' in the 19th century, giving prisons the slang name of 'boob hatches'.
Read more