American Brutus

John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), Biography & Memoir, Political
Cover of the book American Brutus by Michael W. Kauffman, Random House Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael W. Kauffman ISBN: 9780307430618
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Random House Language: English
Author: Michael W. Kauffman
ISBN: 9780307430618
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Random House
Language: English

It is a tale as familiar as our history primers: A deranged actor, John Wilkes Booth, killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre, escaped on foot, and eluded capture for twelve days until he met his fiery end in a Virginia tobacco barn. In the national hysteria that followed, eight others were arrested and tried; four of those were executed, four imprisoned. Therein lie all the classic elements of a great thriller. But the untold tale is even more fascinating.

Now, in American Brutus, Michael W. Kauffman, one of the foremost Lincoln assassination authorities, takes familiar history to a deeper level, offering an unprecedented, authoritative account of the Lincoln murder conspiracy. Working from a staggering array of archival sources and new research, Kauffman sheds new light on the background and motives of John Wilkes Booth, the mechanics of his plot to topple the Union government, and the trials and fates of the conspirators.

Piece by piece, Kauffman explains and corrects common misperceptions and analyzes the political motivation behind Booth’s plan to unseat Lincoln, in whom the assassin saw a treacherous autocrat, “an American Caesar.” In preparing his study, Kauffman spared no effort getting at the truth: He even lived in Booth’s house, and re-created key parts of Booth’s escape. Thanks to Kauffman’s discoveries, readers will have a new understanding of this defining event in our nation’s history, and they will come to see how public sentiment about Booth at the time of the assassination and ever since has made an accurate account of his actions and motives next to impossible–until now.

In nearly 140 years there has been an overwhelming body of literature on the Lincoln assassination, much of it incomplete and oftentimes contradictory. In American Brutus, Kauffman finally makes sense of an incident whose causes and effects reverberate to this day. Provocative, absorbing, utterly cogent, at times controversial, this will become the definitive text on a watershed event in American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It is a tale as familiar as our history primers: A deranged actor, John Wilkes Booth, killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre, escaped on foot, and eluded capture for twelve days until he met his fiery end in a Virginia tobacco barn. In the national hysteria that followed, eight others were arrested and tried; four of those were executed, four imprisoned. Therein lie all the classic elements of a great thriller. But the untold tale is even more fascinating.

Now, in American Brutus, Michael W. Kauffman, one of the foremost Lincoln assassination authorities, takes familiar history to a deeper level, offering an unprecedented, authoritative account of the Lincoln murder conspiracy. Working from a staggering array of archival sources and new research, Kauffman sheds new light on the background and motives of John Wilkes Booth, the mechanics of his plot to topple the Union government, and the trials and fates of the conspirators.

Piece by piece, Kauffman explains and corrects common misperceptions and analyzes the political motivation behind Booth’s plan to unseat Lincoln, in whom the assassin saw a treacherous autocrat, “an American Caesar.” In preparing his study, Kauffman spared no effort getting at the truth: He even lived in Booth’s house, and re-created key parts of Booth’s escape. Thanks to Kauffman’s discoveries, readers will have a new understanding of this defining event in our nation’s history, and they will come to see how public sentiment about Booth at the time of the assassination and ever since has made an accurate account of his actions and motives next to impossible–until now.

In nearly 140 years there has been an overwhelming body of literature on the Lincoln assassination, much of it incomplete and oftentimes contradictory. In American Brutus, Kauffman finally makes sense of an incident whose causes and effects reverberate to this day. Provocative, absorbing, utterly cogent, at times controversial, this will become the definitive text on a watershed event in American history.

More books from Random House Publishing Group

Cover of the book Write Your College Essay in Less Than a Day by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book The Post Office Lady with the Dragon Tattoo by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Destructive Emotions by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Snow Crash by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Great Food, All Day Long by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book The Hyperion Cantos 4-Book Bundle by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Recipes from America's Small Farms by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Reading Lolita in Tehran by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Six Silent Men...Book Three by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Super by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book The Drowning Tree by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book The Real Thing by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book His to Seduce by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by Michael W. Kauffman
Cover of the book Trouble Shooter by Michael W. Kauffman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy