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398th out of 2,087 books
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3,728 voters
A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans: Pirates, Skinflints, Patriots, and Other Colorful Characters Stuck in the Footnotes of History
A lively, compulsively browsable collection of neglected notables-from the bestselling author of A Treasury of Royal Scandals
"History," wrote Thomas Carlyle, "is the essence of innumerable biographies." Yet countless fascinating characters are relegated to a historical limbo. In A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans, Michael Farquhar has scoured the annals and rescu...more
"History," wrote Thomas Carlyle, "is the essence of innumerable biographies." Yet countless fascinating characters are relegated to a historical limbo. In A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans, Michael Farquhar has scoured the annals and rescu...more
Paperback, 257 pages
Published
March 25th 2008
by Penguin Books
(first published January 1st 2008)
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As the cover blurb reminds us, countless fascinating characters are relegated to the footnotes of history, a situation that Michael Farquhar tries to remedy in this entertaining book. Farquhar shines a light on thirty characters who would otherwise remain shrouded in the mists of obscurity, with mixed results.
One obvious problem is that some people deserve to languish in obscurity. Despite Farquhar's enthusiasm, not everyone profiled in this book lived an interesting, let alone a fascinating,...more
One obvious problem is that some people deserve to languish in obscurity. Despite Farquhar's enthusiasm, not everyone profiled in this book lived an interesting, let alone a fascinating,...more
This is a compilation of 30 Americans you probably have never heard of, and for a twist of fate did not take their right place among America's great.
These are 30 very short stories that are extremely interesting and fun to read. Some of the more interesting ones were:
John Billington - Mayflower Murderer
Tom Quick - The Indian Slayer
William Dawes - The Other Midnight Rider
John Ledyard - The Explorer Who Dreamed of Walking the World
Issac C. Parker - The Hanging Judge
Hetty Green - The Witch of Wall...more
These are 30 very short stories that are extremely interesting and fun to read. Some of the more interesting ones were:
John Billington - Mayflower Murderer
Tom Quick - The Indian Slayer
William Dawes - The Other Midnight Rider
John Ledyard - The Explorer Who Dreamed of Walking the World
Issac C. Parker - The Hanging Judge
Hetty Green - The Witch of Wall...more
A book of bios on Americans who did amazing, terrible or revolutionary things, yet have sunk into obscurity.
Being a fan of pirate history, I knew a lot about Anne Bonny, who really isn't obscure in those books, and I'd read of the famous miser Hetty Green and the Quaker preacher Mary Dyer, but most of these people were new to me. And it's probably no surprise that many are women, like Sarah Winnemucca, who confronted President Hayes about the treatment of her Paiute tribe or Louise Boyd, who fin...more
Being a fan of pirate history, I knew a lot about Anne Bonny, who really isn't obscure in those books, and I'd read of the famous miser Hetty Green and the Quaker preacher Mary Dyer, but most of these people were new to me. And it's probably no surprise that many are women, like Sarah Winnemucca, who confronted President Hayes about the treatment of her Paiute tribe or Louise Boyd, who fin...more
May 22, 2008
Carla
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who can read.
Shelves:
grown-up-stuff
Short, witty biographies of historical American figures that may not have written the Declaration or fought at the Alamo but are well worth noting just the same. This book was awesome- little digestible tidbits that were interesting and engrossing. Perfect for those of us who comprehend at an adult level but prefer not to read with a dictionary and thesaurus in hand.
1 like · like · see review
A great idea for a book and a reminder of how many truly colorful characters have made this country what it is. I had heard of a few of these people, but I was truly amazed by some that I hadn't. The real stand-out for me was Richard Mentor Johnson, the war hero who killed Tecumsah, became a Senator and Van Buren's Vice President. He had real presidential ambitions, but one big "problem". He considered lived with a slave woman as his wife and had three children by her. The "problem" was he consi...more
Some of the stories were pretty interesting. However...I felt like the banal details were hounded and the interesting parts were skimmed over. I was glad to see Mary Jemison included but it could have been batter. Pages devoted to where the statues of other people are located but no mention of the giant state park on the site where she lived. Or the fact her cabin still stands with a giant statue in front of it. I mean they mention the river but can't throw it Letchworth park? Maybe if I didn't...more
"History is the essence of innumerable biographies." ~ Thomas Carlyle.
Innumerable biographies is what Michael Farquhar has created in this, his fifth book. Consisting of 30 chapters that briefly, and I mean briefly, highlight the lives of 30 Americans, Farquhar brings to witty life forgotten, but important Americans. This book is not for those who love a 'meaty' non-fiction book, whose facts are being bandied about with new interpretations by authors trying to win a Pulitzer. This is a book tha...more
Innumerable biographies is what Michael Farquhar has created in this, his fifth book. Consisting of 30 chapters that briefly, and I mean briefly, highlight the lives of 30 Americans, Farquhar brings to witty life forgotten, but important Americans. This book is not for those who love a 'meaty' non-fiction book, whose facts are being bandied about with new interpretations by authors trying to win a Pulitzer. This is a book tha...more
Jun 12, 2011
Sue
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
biographical-autobiographical
What, there was MORE than one guy running around warning that the British were coming?? OMG, that's just going to confuse Sarah Palin even more!! :^P
I liked this book, although there were some chapters I would have liked to be a bit longer, and one or two that might have been a bit shorter. Overall, though, I thought it was a fun read that offered lots of tidbits to a trivia-nerd like me.
I liked this book, although there were some chapters I would have liked to be a bit longer, and one or two that might have been a bit shorter. Overall, though, I thought it was a fun read that offered lots of tidbits to a trivia-nerd like me.
It was interesting. A string of stories about people not very well known in the United States history.
Good for car trip (stories vary in length and you could stop it at the end of one when you need a break from listening or when you take a driving break) or for commuting to work (you wouldn't have to think about where you stopped in a story).
Good for car trip (stories vary in length and you could stop it at the end of one when you need a break from listening or when you take a driving break) or for commuting to work (you wouldn't have to think about where you stopped in a story).
Listed as an also-read for Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam
I have read another book from the same author and rather enjoyed that one. This, however, was boring to be completely honest with you. Of course, I'm terribly fond of American history, it bores me. I thought this would be different, but I was wrong.
Each chapter gives a short account of various figures in history and their claim to fame, however fleeting it may have been. None of them were interesting and it is little wonder why such have been forgotten. With authors like Farquhar, one would hope...more
Each chapter gives a short account of various figures in history and their claim to fame, however fleeting it may have been. None of them were interesting and it is little wonder why such have been forgotten. With authors like Farquhar, one would hope...more
I love these books because they are fascinating and easy to pick up and put down. Michael Farquahr stops at the Borders at BWI and occasionally leaves a few signed copies. I was lucky to get a signed copy of this one and am thoroughly enjoying it!
I did enjoy the information I came across with my skimming--the stories themselves are fascinating and ones I wouldn't have come across otherwise, but this was a book I was glad to get through quickly because the writing was laborious.
20 or so short stories about Americans who lived incredible lives and deserve to be remembered. For an amateur history buff like myself it's really fun to discover these colorful people and more fun to pass on the reading to my nephew.
This was really interesting. A female pirate that was as bloody as they come, the other Midnight Rider besides Paul Revere, the Hanging Judge. and the Mother of Mother's Day and more. Short bios on people who did change or contribute to history but have not been glorified.
Written with research but tinted with a little tongue-in-cheek perspective, giving you another lesson in history.
Written with research but tinted with a little tongue-in-cheek perspective, giving you another lesson in history.
A nifty collection of short biographies on a fascinating cast of characters from the Pilgrim settlement onwards. Most were unknown to me but came to life in this telling. Well worth reading!
I love Farquhar. His work was always so interesting. My favorite character from this one is definitely Heddy Green, the world's most famous miser.
Interesting tidbits, but with a disjunctive ordering of chapters.
The middle chapters would have made a decent book about the Harding Era cabinet and personalities by themselves, with a little more research.
Reader was a funky selection for this type of audiobook.
The middle chapters would have made a decent book about the Harding Era cabinet and personalities by themselves, with a little more research.
Reader was a funky selection for this type of audiobook.
This book included several very interesting character sketches. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Very Good. truly a treasury. Wonderful stories for a history teacher. Diverse in time and diverse in color.
Not bad, but some of these people probably should have stayed forgotten.
Fantastic book for anyone who likes history, trivia, or biographies. Farquhar puts together short bits on a number of American figures who most of us don't know, stretching from before the formation of the U.S. to as recently as the red scare in the mid-twentieth century. This book is fine to read cover to cover, as I did, or just one personality at a time whenever you feel like picking it up.
It was especially refreshing to see a historian avoid political posturing and stick to the facts, citing...more
It was especially refreshing to see a historian avoid political posturing and stick to the facts, citing...more
May 21, 2013
C
marked it as to-read
recommended in NF webinar
Saw it on the library shelf, had to get it. One minor disappointment so far: Emperor Norton I is not in the table of contents! But the rest of the collection are nice.
I read halfway through the book and then lost my momentum. I gave it a good go. The stories are really interesting, filled with surprising and unusual detail, and all kinds of people I never knew about. But lately my attention span for names is rather short. Give me chewy narrative, life changing stories, hope, success, even failure. So a book of min biographies with a whole new set of characters each chapter is hard for me to chew on. But if short, faceted bios are your thing. Check it out.
Some interesting tidbits about a sampling of obscure historical figures. This book has given me some kitschy anecdotes for cocktail parties! However, probably because of the nature of the book (small chapters), it was hard to stay engaged and it took me several interrupted weeks to finish. A great book for waiting in the doctor's office or carpool line- easy to pick up, easy to put down. And hey, I even learned a thing or two and have a new appreciation for the fleeting nature of fame.
This was a delightful read full of individual stories. Apparently well-researched, judging from the reference list. Because it is entirely short stories, it is very easy to put down.
Although listed as "footnotes", the names or roles sound familiar. OK, so the most familiar was Dick Fosbury of Flop fame. The rest reach further back in history. Each person was known for something, err, you could say historically delightful: a female pirate, martyr, spies, government figures, etc.
Although listed as "footnotes", the names or roles sound familiar. OK, so the most familiar was Dick Fosbury of Flop fame. The rest reach further back in history. Each person was known for something, err, you could say historically delightful: a female pirate, martyr, spies, government figures, etc.
The beginning selections were hit or miss, many of them were forgettable, but I would highly recommend reading the chapters towards the middle and end, especially William Burns and Gaston Means, those were the longest chapters but also the most interesting. I'm a fan of Farquhar but this wasn't my favorite book of his.
3.5
It is a Max Du Preez collection of forgotten historical figures made for Americans. An easy non-fictional read.
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From Penguin Books:
Michael Farquhar is a writer and editor at the Washington Post specializing in history. He is the author of the bestsellers A Treasury of Great American Scandals and A Treasury of Royal Scandals. He appeared on the History Channel’s Russia, Land of the Tsars and will be featured on a forthcoming program about the French Revolution.
More about Michael Farquhar...
Michael Farquhar is a writer and editor at the Washington Post specializing in history. He is the author of the bestsellers A Treasury of Great American Scandals and A Treasury of Royal Scandals. He appeared on the History Channel’s Russia, Land of the Tsars and will be featured on a forthcoming program about the French Revolution.
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Jun 08, 2008 02:23pm