Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Hi. I am a new member who has a question about lizzie borden books.
I don't know to much about the lizzie case. I have read the book "The borden tragedy" by rick geary and I ordered a book called 'Lizzie did not do it". My question is, did I order the right book? Is "Lizzie did not do it"
a good book to read about the case? I am looking for a book with facts about the crime, maybe even some photos.

Hi!
I like Geary but he has mistakes. I liked Masterton, and we miss him already now he is gone. I can't rate his book, sorry.

You can not go wrong if you read the source documents that you can download for free at the website, LABVM/L.
http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/CrimeLibrary.htm

You can look under "Key Documents." There is plenty there that can help you make up your own mind. Authors tend to influence people with their own theory- but if they get someone *hooked* on Lizzie- I say sure!
You might like newspaper stories as well!
http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/Borde ... papers.htm

Welcome aboard, Sandy! I'm sure you will have fun here.

I would not take any of the books out there as gospel. Too many authors have their own theories that they try to push and facts don't always get in their way. So take what you read with a grain of salt.

Like Kat said, read the source documents. They will give you many facts that you may not find anywhere else. Here on this forum we try to cut through the malarky and get to the meat and potatos.

Print out the source documents and take them to bed with you. It makes for some good late-night reading.

-1bigsteve (o:

I agree that the source documents are the best place to start. I would also read Victoria Lincoln's "A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight" and, if you can find it, Len Rebello's "Lizzie Borden's Past & Present". While I do not agree totally with Lincoln's theory, I think she probably comes closer to the truth than most authors. And Rebello probably knows more about the Borden case than anyone - including Lizzie herself, I imagine!

.The source documents are excellent; but they can be overwhelming for a newcomer.

For a good read I can recommend Robert Sullivans's book "Goodbye Lizzie Borden," It will not smother you with speculation, and is the only book I know that was written by a legal authority. He was a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

The One Best Book on the Borden murders is David Kent's "Forty Whacks". It covers as much as possible in its 350 pages or so.

You can read the reviews in Amazon.com and judge for yourself.
Lizzie was correctly acquitted after a "fair trial" and the crime was never solved. Nor can it be, since all those around then died before WW 2.

This book should be in your public library or county library system.

I also would recommend taking advantage of all of the information at the LizzieAndrewBorden site. You can read the inquest testimonies and later the trial testimonies. If you go to Resources you can even read a few books they have online. And all of this wonderful information is FREE! It's a good way to start out.

After that, like many others, I too recommended getting Rebello's book. It's expensive but at least it's worth the money.

Another suggestion, go through the archives at this site.

Thank you all so much for your ideas. :grin:

Thank you for the welcome Bigsteve.

David Kent's "Forty Whacks" is a primer on this case.

The advice about reading legal documents may just turn you away. That is not what they intended, I hope.

Stick with what is available from your public library for now.

I just wonder what made you interested?

What made me interested you asked? It was a falls river ad for the Lizzie Bordon Bed & breakfest. I was doing some reading on falls river and they had the ad in there. It was a relocation thing from the chamber of commerence.

Just a gentle correction...it's Fall River. There is no "s" in Fall.





Tracy...

That was my fault. I was not thinking when I was typing that.