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The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield: A Tragedy of the Gilded Age Audiobook
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(2.43) - 14 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Even before he was shot dead on the stairway of the tony Grand Central Hotel in 1872, financier James “Jubilee Jim” Fisk, Jr., was a notorious New York City figure. From his audacious attempt to corner the gold market in 1869 to his battle for control of the geographically crucial Erie Railroad, Fisk was a flamboyant exemplar of a new financial era marked by volatile fortunes and unprecedented greed and corruption. But it was his scandalously open affair with a showgirl named Josie Mansfield that ultimately led to his demise. In this riveting short history, H. W. Brands traces Fisk’s extraordinary downfall, bringing to life New York’s Gilded Age and some of its legendary players, including Boss William Tweed, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the railroad tycoon Jay Gould.
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The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield Listener Reviews
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" I give it two stars. It was an interesting story, but the lack of citation and sources bothered me to no end. "
— Nini, 10/14/2013 -
" The best I can say about a "history" book is that it reads like a novel. This one is also a murder mystery. "
— Rosemary, 2/8/2013 -
" Very quick read which paints and interesting portrait of life in NYC during the period but lacks the depth needed to make it a stand-out read. It reminds me of Rick Geary's excellent TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDERS series of comics, but without the visual flair. "
— Alex, 5/17/2012 -
" I like the idea of a shorter book about an event mostly lost to history, but for a book about an affair and murder, I had a hard time getting into this book. It is mostly a courtroom drama about characters I didn't care much about. "
— Allison, 3/26/2012 -
" history as an aside. "
— John, 8/30/2011 -
" Ok. Nothing I haven't read before. "
— Eileen, 8/10/2011 -
" Could have been a lot better. Wasnreally poorly written and for it being only 160 pages, I expected a lot more from it. "
— Katrina, 5/25/2011
About H. W. Brands
H. W. Brands has written more than a dozen biographies and histories, including the The General vs. the President, a New York Times bestseller. Two of his biographies, The First American and Traitor to His Class, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. He holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin.
About Richard McGonagle
Richard McGonagle is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and an experienced film, television, and voice-over actor. He has appeared in such films as Rules of Engagement and such television shows as The Practice and JAG.