false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166853905m/17795.jpg 17795 4 In Banvard's Folly, Paul Collins celebrates what he calls the "forgotten ephemera of genius." Here are thirteen unforgettable portraits of men and women who might have claimed their share of renown but who, whether from ill timing, skullduggery, monomania, the tinge of madness, or plain bad luck-or perhaps some combination of them all-leapt straight from life into thankless obscurity. Among their number are scientists, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and adventurers, from across the centuries and around the world. They hold in common the silenced aftermath of failure, the name that rings no bells-until now.AUTHORBIO: Paul Collins writes for McSweeneys Quarterly, and his work has also appeared in Lingua Franca and eCompany Now. While writing Banvard's Folly he lived in San Francisco, where he taught early-American literature at Dominican University. He and his family moved briefly to Wales-a journey about which he is writing a book-and now live in Oregon.REVIEW:"Hearteningly strange...." (The Onion) REVIEW: "Of Collins' endeavor....we can proclaim our permanent thanks and amazement and heartiest welcome." (The Los Angeles Times Book Review) REVIEW: "Thirteen wry biographical essays about people, once famous, who have disappeared from memory." (The New Yorker) 19316 2001 Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World total:170|5:56|4:64|3:42|2:8|1:0| 170 678 303 34 3 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Mar 03 18:33:09 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 18:35:36 -0800 2008 Banvard’s Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn’t Change the World sets out to answer. The...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 11:14:42 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 08:06:55 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 04 09:12:52 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 24 11:07:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 16 16:33:41 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 16 16:33:41 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Wed Sep 05 07:34:36 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 06 05:22:23 -0700 2007
As the subtitle says, the book is a collection of articles about men & women who had (or attempted to have) a brief moment of fame and have since ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 02 16:12:22 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 11 23:36:17 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Tue Jun 03 19:31:26 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 19:37:20 -0700 2008
>>All the stories were interesting to read, and in some instances, shed further light on the late 19th century an...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 06 07:37:45 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 19 21:02:27 -0800 2007 Mon Oct 06 07:37:45 -0700 2008 Not Even Wrong...), which makes it difficult to fully enjoy. Sixpence House and The Trouble with Tom are wonderfully written and polished books wherein Collins has truly found his...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 25 08:42:17 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 08:44:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Sep 03 19:58:49 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 01 17:58:29 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Feb 24 21:31:30 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 22:55:09 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Sun Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 11:58:13 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 12:01:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 22 10:29:08 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 10:29:38 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 19 08:58:22 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 20 08:48:40 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 07:29:14 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 07:37:55 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 04 05:25:16 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 05:07:08 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 04 05:25:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Thu Aug 23 08:52:06 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 23 08:59:59 -0700 2007
The subjects of these 13 mini-biographies are some of the most fascinating-yet-forgotten people in history, and Collins tells their stories in a completely engrossin...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Nov 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 02 09:06:02 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 04 17:10:54 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Mon Apr 09 09:34:46 -0700 2007 Mon Apr 09 09:36:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Aug 31 17:30:39 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 31 17:32:11 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=17795