"English Composition Self Taught" Lloyd E. Smith, 1925 (No. 824 - Little Blue Book)
 
 Clement Wood examines the life of Tomás de Torquemada and his role as the architect of the Spanish Inquisition, focusing on the transition from religious fervor to a systematic "engine" of persecution. Wood details how Torquemada, serving as the first Grand Inquisitor, influenced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to establish the Tribunal of Castile to root out heresy, specifically targeting Conversos (Jewish converts to Catholicism). The book outlines the brutal methods authorized by Torquemada—including torture, confiscation of property, and public executions known as autos-da-fé—as tools to enforce religious and racial uniformity. Ultimately, Wood presents Torquemada not merely as a man, but as a personification of religious intolerance whose policies led to the mass expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 and left a lasting legacy of fear and oppression.