E. Randall Floyd Books

Some of the most intriguing things are the very things we can't explain. Floyd investigates many "Southern mysteries" in his book. While it won't win any awards for investigative reporting, it does raise serious questions and keep the reader wondering.

The best thing about the book is its short, easy to read format. Each story is only 3-5 pages long, which lends itself perfectly for downtime when you can only spare 5-10 minutes.

Each story is intereting enough to keep reading, and wets the readers' appetite to find longer books on each story's subject. While some stories seem to lack direction, that can be understandable due to the books subject of unexplainable.

A good read that can be read anytime.

Wow! I never knew that the South had so many strange happenings! Sure, we all know about the famous skunk ape (bigfoot, sasquatch) and the Bermuda Triangle, but did you know that there are healing springs in South Carolina, a sea maiden in Biloxi, or a headless horsemen in Texas? Do you know the true story behind the Bell Witch of Tennessee, the Fountain of Youth, or Blackbeard? I only knew half of the story before I read this book. E. Randall Floyd does a teriffic job of relaying spine-tingling tales and making you question reality. This book not only tells the story, but gives you the history and the myths behind the mystery. After reading this book, there are so many new places in the south that I want to visit just so I can see some of these things for myself! Floyd will make a believer out of you!

I heard this author interviewed on Georgia Public Radio and was excited to hear about the book, because my great-great grandfather was in the same Company A of Georgia's 49th Regiment as was the book's main character. What a let-down. I have never been so disappointed in a book. I thought it was very poorly written. Amateurish even. I could not even finish the book, because I was so disappointed at how poorly it was done. There was no sense of setting or characterization, or feeling for the characters. They felt like cardboard cut-outs. "Cold Mountain," this ain't.

This book was most interesting to me because Garrett NeSmith was my Great,Great,Grandfather. Although in the book his age is off by about 19 years I could still see all of the events in my mind as I read the book. Not knowing what any of my relatives from the pasted looked like (except for Wiley) I could picture each one of them in my mind. This book really brought to life a part of my family history.

I just want you to know how much I enjoyed reading Deep in the Heart. I live in the Chicago area, but was in Macon, Georgia, on business. I stopped in the Barnes & Noble to have a cup of coffee and browsed a bit. I came across Deep in the Heart and picked it up. I thought it was absolutely terrific, particularly the battle descriptions. I enjoyed the differing perspectives, as well.

I am also impressed with the research that must have gone into this book. I am curious, however. As much as I have read about the Civil War, there has been little I have read in the way of atrocities committed by the invading and occupying Union troops. I am sure that it occurred, particularly as the war progressed.

In Deep in the Heart, I was particularly stunned by the "trial" and hanging of the Confederate captured by the Union patrol, as well as the assault on the ambulance.

Once again, thank you for a wonderful book. I was sorry to finish it.

As a Civil War buff, I have read a lot of books about that tragic era over the years. Some are good, some are bad. Some merely go through the motions without much regard to either historical accuracy or the human pathos. I always try to read books that I feel approach the war from an honest, original and fresh angle, without having to sacrifice historical accuracy. And since there are so many books out there, a book has to really do something to me in a hurry to force me to stay with it for longer than an hour or so. Such was this fine book, Deep in the Heart, which I truly enjoyed reading. It tells a wonderful story about a simple farm boy from Georgia who goes off to serve with General Lee in Virginia. The battle scenes are first rate, some of the best I have ever read. The storyline, which is based on true events, is deeply touching--young soldier has to leave his family behind to go off to fight a war he understands very little about. It not only follows the odyssey of Private Wiley Nesmith and his six brothers (who have to fight their respective battles), it also follows the horrible ordeal the folks in his hometown of Irwington, Ga., have to go through when General Sherman launches his March to the Sea through the heart of Georgia. It is a splendid, well-told book with appealing and sympathetic characters, great narrative (especially the battle scenes) and leaves the reader feeling he has been touched in a very special way. I found the book a great history lesson in itself, as well as a nifty piece of literature. I highly recommend this book. Deep in the Heart should be on every Civil War reader's list--and required reading in Civil War Honors programs in every school in the country. We need more stories like this to give our youngster's the "true facts" about that awful time in our nation's history.

Floyd had real, original Civil War letters to work from in writing this book, and it is my firm belief that the author of said letters should come back from the dead and run Floyd through with a bayonet, or at least give him lice or something. The parts of the book -- mostly battle scenes -- that appear to have been taken from original documents are fairly good, but Floyd has failed to flesh them out, so that what we end up with is a disjointed, scattered account that lacks dramatic tension. The reader gets to the end of the book and thinks "wait... did I just read something?". The plot line concerning Wiley's wife waiting at home was treacly. And, as if that wasn't enough, the book is full of small but annoying errors: a piece of jewelry inscribed *19*-something for the year; the Orange Plank Road as "a dirt path". Overall, I'd say don't bother.

According to the author of this book,E.Randall Floyd,he'kept notes and collected biographical data,tons of it"on the 40 or so subjects of this book...Now while I do not suggest that I can dispute every entry,there are several people here that Randall has profiled using faulty or flat-out made up data,which is suggestive to me that most and perhaps all of his mini-biographies are flawed...Take,for example,Lizzie Borden...according to Randall"...at her trial lizzie gave a bewildering array of conflicting stories about her whereabouts during the murder"WRONG ! Lizzie Borden DID NOT TESTIFY AT HER OWN TRIAL !Indeed the trial record clearly states that her one comment was that she would have her lawyers speak for her!So how come Randall has Lizzie making these"conflicting accounts"?Because they were made AT THE INQUEST,NOT THE TRIAL,and,because they were made without benifit of an attorney's advice they were never admitted as evidence at her trial.One would think that something as basic as this would not have been missed,or misunderstood by any REAL journalist.Then there is the notion,on Randall's part that the alledged murder weapon was discovered "in a toolshed out back"WRONG AGAIN !The item in question was discovered in the basement of the Borden home.Later on Randall claims that"a few years before her death" lizzie vacated her parents working class home in order to move into a mansion on the fashionable"hill" section of Fall River...Lizzie did this within one year of her aquittal,in the 1890s,and did not actually die until 1927,about thirty years afterwards..the list of mistakes and omissions IN THIS ONE ENTRY ALONE are almost endless,which leads me to believe that there are other entries with similiarly botched research(if what Randall has done here can even be called such)...I mean,if we are going to write fiction,Mr.Randall,we really ought to identify it as such.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of "mini-biographies" by E. Randall Floyd. These people were truly good, bad and mad--and definitely "weird" in every sense of the word.

I have passed this book along to several friends who have also enjoyed learning so much "dark stuff" about some of America's greatest literary, artistic and historical icons. I hope to see a follow-up book very soon!!!

This book makes me wish I had Professor Floyd as a history teacher. These crazy people come to life in a way that makes me almost cry one moment, laugh the next. Some were quite scary and makes me wonder how I missed knowing all this stuff about them for so long. I really think more teachers should tell the truth about the people in our country's past the same way Prof. Floyd has done. Excellent job and highly recommended!

Containing extremely short biographies of some of the most intriguing people in American History, "The Good, The Bad & the Mad" is a book well worth reading for anyone who is interested in American history and/or the characters that made it up. Containing vignettes on such personages as P.T. Barnum, Marie Laveau, H.P Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce and Nikola Tesla, just to name a VERY few, this is a very easily-accessible way to learn a little bit about a lot of people. It has made me interested to learn more about many of these fascinating people who helped create our melting pot.

I'm not sure the author of this book knows the definition of 'weird'. What makes Isadora Duncan 'weird' or Tecumseh or 80% of the other people listed in this book? One of my all time heroes Nikola Tesla's actual 'weirdness' is glossed over in less than three sentences, then we're told it's 'bizzare behavior' to watch and enjoy a lightning storm or to feed and care for animals in the park. This book is pap, a meaningless collection of watered down facts about people you've barely or never heard of and won't care about once you have.

Fascinating summary of some of the greatest legends and mysteries of America, though not very thorough. It does, however, provide an excellent starting point for further reading on the subjects.

100 of the World's Greatest Mysteries is a good book for those who want to know trivia for Jeopardy or those who want some interesting, new dinner table conversation. E. Randall Floyd incorporates many of the world's mysteries, with some being more well-known than others, into one colorful book. Although some of the tales did not have lots of detail, most of the tales were pleasantly unusual and had enough details to keep me satiated. I especially liked the stories about the long-lost cities or empires. Once again, I wish that there was more concrete evidence for some of these tales. However, this book is not a bad collection and worth checking out in the library.

I recently bought this book, and I can tell you...what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I would have given the title 5 stars if it had gone into greater depth on some of the subjects, but hey...it is 100 of the World's Greatest Mysteries, they've got a lot of ground to cover here. This is not an in depth exploration of life's deeper meanings. This IS a brief telling of great mysteries that skips, like a rock on still water, from subject to subject. Purely entertaining, light reading, and a truly enjoyable vacation for the mind. Enjoy...

I have always enjoyed reading about BigFoot, sea serpents, UFOs, ghosts and other so-called "mysteries." Some books are pure trash, but I found Mr. Floyd's book a thoroughly pleasurable experience. It's history and science and mythology and religion all rolled into one. It gets right to the point and does not stray, as do so many books that try to cover this material. The writing style is pure bliss--but packs a punch and leads the reader panting for more information. One thing about this book is that the author does not appear to draw preposterous conclusions; he leaves that up to the reader. Each one of these articles would make a nice book in its own right. Both of my teenagers have read this book and have recommended it to their friends. Just thought you'd like to know!

I found this an excellent introduction to many of the world's greatest mysteries. Concise and well-written, this author refuses to go where so many "fringe" authors go. In other words, he presents the facts as a good journalist would, without drawing sensational conclusions. This is good reading, highly recommended for readers of all ages. For those readers wishing to learn more about the material, there is an excellent bibliography.

There are many interesting tales in this book. Few that have never been read before, but there is enough extra information included here to make them good for the second round. The editing is poor, with a few errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar here and there. The largest problem in this book, however is the attitude of the author. The reader can clearly tell what he is stating as fiction or myth, and what he presumes to be fact. He tells the story of the beginning of Earth (in his mind, the "Big Bang") as if he had been there. His annoying, persistent use of words like "negroid" and referring to Native Americans as "Indians" are both unprofessional and offensive. Over all, this pretentious bore should not be writing books on mysteries of the unknown, because he obviously thinks he knows everything.

An okay book. Interesting, but most of the information is what you have heard if you were raised in the south.