Has anyone read these books?

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:40 am

Before I go and buy these books, has anoyone read these:

Yesterday in Old Rall River: A Lizzie Borden Companion By Paul Dennis Hoffman

Miss Lizzie by Walter Satterthwait

Lizzie Borden: A case book of Family and Crime in the 1890's by Joyce G Williams J eric Smithburn M Jeanne Peterson.

Are these books any good, or will I be wasting money?

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:03 pm

I have never heard of any of these myself, Snokks, except the last one but I don't know anything about it. If you can get them cheap enough it may be worth a shot. Maybe some of the other posters know something about these books.

-1bigsteve (o:

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:42 pm

The Satterthwait might be confusing. (Note the spelling of his name).
But he is cool-looking in his picture!

http://www.satterthwait.com/

The Hoffman is good- it's a directory of case-related characters.

The Williams is good too- it's news items. You'd like it I think.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:44 pm

If anyone is considering buying a book, Stefani's Bibliography at the LABVM/L website might be useful- it's annotated:

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/Resources ... hyCase.htm

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:37 am

1bigsteve @ Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:03 pm wrote:I have never heard of any of these myself, Snokks, except the last one but I don't know anything about it. If you can get them cheap enough it may be worth a shot. Maybe some of the other posters know something about these books.

-1bigsteve (o:

I have checked on the Barnes and Noble website, and all but one of them is in the used and out of print section, so I will be able to get them cheap.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:58 am

Well, the Satterthwait book is a novel. Just FYI.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:07 am

Satterthwait's book has nothing to do with the Borden murder case. It'a a casual read with a waggish sort of plot----or at least, amusing is the way I found it.

One needs to like that sort of story line. It starts with a young 13 year old girl who has a less than popular stepmother who gets chopped up with an axe. She seeks out Lizzie's help in finding the real killer. Of course there are those who think "Lizzie did it". Together, the young lady and Lizzie team up and, well.............not a Mike Hammer or a Nero Wolf; closer to a Miss Marple's or Jessica Fletcher. (Murder she wrote.)

It suppose to be a good read with a surprising ending. I have not got around to reading it completely. But, for anyone who just can't get enough of Lizzie it's worth picking up, and if your a book collector, well, every cover issue is a must. Especially the German ones.

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:10 pm

Sort of like a fictional murder mystrey? Glad you all told me. Don't want to waste money on something fictional.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:38 pm

Yes Snokkums.......I know what you mean. I like my Lizzie straight up, without the olive.

"Yesterday in Old Fall River", may be worth picking up. It was first published in paperback. I love the cover. It's pink colored and displays a cameo of Lizzie in the center, against a wallpaper wall background. On the wallpaper is the shadow of a sofa, a lamp and the axe above the sofa. I think it's a cool cover.

Paul D. Hoffman's book is more of a reference treatise, a list of everyone and anyone, a 400 page book on who's who in the Borden case. After a short preface it goes right into the list of names starting with JOHN HAMMILL ABBOTT, a Fall River physician and ending with MARY B. WYATT, a widow living with the Bowens at 91 Second Street.

I can't vouch for the books accuracy, but it's a very constructive tool for study or easy reference. Not sure what everyone else thinks about it but I would say a must have.

The Williams, Smithburn, Peterson book, if I'm not mistaken, was used as a textbook at one of the local colleges (Bridgewater State College...???) back in the eary 80s. Many "poo-poo it for some reason. Lots to newspaper reports, material found elsewhere, including the inquest of Lizzie etc. It was also issued in paperback form and when found is usually inexpensive. Worth reading.

Tina-Kate · Post by **Tina-Kate** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:11 pm

I personally love the Casebook. It has a lot to offer.

I haven't read Hoffman mainly because Rebello covers pretty much the same info so well & then some.

Satterthwait---Coincidentally, several weeks ago I wrote a review + cartoon for The Hatchet, but it did not make it in the latest issue. (Probably because this past issue was so full of quality material & my stuff was "fluff"). Basically, it's good for time wasting/entertainment & not much else.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:38 pm

"Miss Lizzie", the Sattherwaite (sp?) book is horrible. It isn't even a good novel. The author has Lizzie smoking cigars and playing cards. It is so predictable. You can get it really cheap, for like a buck if you look. I would not recommend it, unless it were for purposes of adding it to a Borden book collection.

Hoffman's "Yesterday in Old Fall River" is a must-have, as MB says. Though the entries were taken pretty much from The Knowlton Papers and Past & Present (Rebello), they have every person who was connected with the case in alphabetical order and a bio and their role in the case stated. It's great as a reference book. I can't tell you how many times I've used it. (It's sitting next to me now.)

The Casebook was well received and still is. I find it curious that the book seems not to have gone up in value. You can still get it at pretty much the same price as it was sold at originally - like 10 bucks.