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The Resource Fortune's fool : the life of John Wilkes Booth, Terry Alford

Fortune's fool : the life of John Wilkes Booth, Terry Alford

Creator
Summary
"With a single shot from a pistol small enough to conceal in his hand, John Wilkes Booth catapulted into history on the night of April 14, 1865. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln stunned a nation that was just emerging from the chaos and calamity of the Civil War, and the president's untimely death altered the trajectory of postwar history. But to those who knew Booth, the event was even more shocking--for no one could have imagined that this fantastically gifted actor and well-liked man could commit such an atrocity. In Fortune's Fool, Terry Alford provides the first comprehensive look at the life of an enigmatic figure whose life has been overshadowed by his final, infamous act. Tracing Booth's story from his uncertain childhood in Maryland, characterized by a difficult relationship with his famous actor father, to his successful acting career on stages across the country, Alford offers a nuanced picture of Booth as a public figure, performer, and deeply troubled man. Despite the fame and success that attended Booth's career--he was billed at one point as 'the youngest star in the world'--he found himself consumed by the Confederate cause and the desire to help the South win its independence. Alford reveals the tormented path that led Booth to conclude, as the Confederacy collapsed in April 1865, that the only way to revive the South and punish the North for the war would be to murder Lincoln--whatever the cost to himself or others. The textured and compelling narrative gives new depth to the familiar events at Ford's Theatre and the aftermath that followed, culminating in Booth's capture and death at the hands of Union soldiers 150 years ago. Based on original research into government archives, historical libraries, and family records, Fortune's Fool offers the definitive portrait of John Wilkes Booth"--
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
454 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • Bright Boy Absalom
  • The Muffin
  • Lions and Foxes
  • The Union as It Was
  • Shining in the Rough
  • Life's Fitful Fever
  • Mischief, Thou Art Afoot
  • The Fiery Furnace
  • Come Weal or Woe
  • This One Mad Act
  • Exit Booth
  • The Last Ditch
  • Epilogue: A Green and Narrow Bed
Isbn
9780195054125
Instance
Label
Fortune's fool : the life of John Wilkes Booth
Title
Fortune's fool
Title remainder
the life of John Wilkes Booth
Statement of responsibility
Terry Alford
Title variation
  • Life of John Wilkes Booth
  • Fortunes fool
Title variation remainder
the life of John Wilkes Booth
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
"With a single shot from a pistol small enough to conceal in his hand, John Wilkes Booth catapulted into history on the night of April 14, 1865. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln stunned a nation that was just emerging from the chaos and calamity of the Civil War, and the president's untimely death altered the trajectory of postwar history. But to those who knew Booth, the event was even more shocking--for no one could have imagined that this fantastically gifted actor and well-liked man could commit such an atrocity. In Fortune's Fool, Terry Alford provides the first comprehensive look at the life of an enigmatic figure whose life has been overshadowed by his final, infamous act. Tracing Booth's story from his uncertain childhood in Maryland, characterized by a difficult relationship with his famous actor father, to his successful acting career on stages across the country, Alford offers a nuanced picture of Booth as a public figure, performer, and deeply troubled man. Despite the fame and success that attended Booth's career--he was billed at one point as 'the youngest star in the world'--he found himself consumed by the Confederate cause and the desire to help the South win its independence. Alford reveals the tormented path that led Booth to conclude, as the Confederacy collapsed in April 1865, that the only way to revive the South and punish the North for the war would be to murder Lincoln--whatever the cost to himself or others. The textured and compelling narrative gives new depth to the familiar events at Ford's Theatre and the aftermath that followed, culminating in Booth's capture and death at the hands of Union soldiers 150 years ago. Based on original research into government archives, historical libraries, and family records, Fortune's Fool offers the definitive portrait of John Wilkes Booth"--
Writing style
Assigning source
Provided by publisher
Biography type
individual biography
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI
10411308
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Alford, Terry
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • plates
Index
index present
LC call number
E457.5
LC item number
.A44 2015
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Booth, John Wilkes
  • Booth, John Wilkes
  • Booth, John Wilkes
  • Lincoln, Abraham
  • Assassins
  • Actors
http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/titleRemainder
the life of John Wilkes Booth
Label
Fortune's fool : the life of John Wilkes Booth, Terry Alford
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Bright Boy Absalom -- The Muffin -- Lions and Foxes -- The Union as It Was -- Shining in the Rough -- Life's Fitful Fever -- Mischief, Thou Art Afoot -- The Fiery Furnace -- Come Weal or Woe -- This One Mad Act -- Exit Booth -- The Last Ditch -- Epilogue: A Green and Narrow Bed
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
454 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780195054125
Isbn Type
(hardcover : acid-free paper)
Lccn
2014040917
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn892700195
  • (OCoLC)892700195
  • 1994605
  • BK0015794238
Label
Fortune's fool : the life of John Wilkes Booth, Terry Alford
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Bright Boy Absalom -- The Muffin -- Lions and Foxes -- The Union as It Was -- Shining in the Rough -- Life's Fitful Fever -- Mischief, Thou Art Afoot -- The Fiery Furnace -- Come Weal or Woe -- This One Mad Act -- Exit Booth -- The Last Ditch -- Epilogue: A Green and Narrow Bed
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
454 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780195054125
Isbn Type
(hardcover : acid-free paper)
Lccn
2014040917
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)ocn892700195
  • (OCoLC)892700195
  • 1994605
  • BK0015794238

Subject

Genre

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