Borden Books

The Winner is the third book in a trilogy by Borden Deal about Mississippi politics. A review of this book would be best if it followed reviews of the first two books, The Loser and The Advocate. To me, The Loser was a better primer on southern politics that Robert Penn Warren's novel on Louisiana politics, All The King's Men. Deal establishes a Tupelo, Mississippi lawyer as the protagonist in these novels and they are the vehicles for chronicling his career. The Loser is the strongest of the three books. The Advocate represents a regrouping of the lawyer's life after losing a hard-fought battle in a three-way race for governor. He was put in the race as a loser, but almost won. In The Winner, he does win the governor's race, but that is all for naught as there is a collision with a parallel figure from the first book. The trappings of political kingmakers culminate in this tragedy of the manipulation of people's lives for one's or a group's own misdirected gains. This book can be a stand-alone read, but is much better if read in the sequence of the trilogy.

Lizzie Borden was aquitted of the murders of her father and step-mother,and,to date,no other person or persons have been tried for the crime..So,in effect,and for the record,Lizzie Borden is innocent of the crimes,despite the circumstantial evidence which would seem to indicate otherwise..Like O.J.Simpson,whose"guilt" in the matter of his ex-wife and her boyfriend's muders is more a matter of public "knowledge"than of legal culpability(O.J. of course,was also found innocent by a jury,although he fared less well in a later civil trial which found him otherwise),Lizzie Borden is PRESUMED by many to be guilty,despite the result of her trial..Thus it becomes almost an open-season for those who wish to affix blame..The"facts" in this case are few,and most of the books written about Lizzie depend upon speculative spins on the material avail;able...Inasmuchas Lizzie and her maid were the only other persons thought to be in the house at the time of the murders suspicion has fallen on them both,but more so on Lizzie..The maid is considered not to have had a compelling motive to have done the deed,while Lizzie is said to have had resentment towards her step-mother and,to some degree,towards her father as well..If one were to make a guess as to who might have had both motive and opportunity,as well as means,then Lizzie is at the top of avery short list,with every other known suspect running a distant second..
While Ms.Chaney does her fair share of speculating(as well as making some few mistakes with what few real facts we have,such as dating a photograph or indulging her imagination as to certain conversations which may or may not have gone done exactly as described in her book),her musings on this matter,and the conclusions drawn by her from them,are as valid as any others,given that,SAVE FOR THE PRESUMPTION THAT SHE IS GUILTY AND THE RESULT OF HER TRIAL,WHICH PROCLAIMS THAT SHE IS NOT,we really do not know,for sure,what took place that day...Therefore,given this dearth of actual knowledge,Ms.Chaney's conclusions are as good as anyone else's,and in some cases are better than most..Her writing style is not studious or boring,which makes her book-length take on the Borden crime all the more easy to get through,and if,in the end,the reader does not agree with Ms.Chaney's conclusions-so what?It has been ,as of this writing,a full 115 years since the crimes went down,and unless there should be some unimpeachable firsthand account hidden away somewhere that does once and for all detail the crime,say,for example,a secret confession hand-written by Lizzie herself,or another account,by an as yet unknown author who may him/herself have done the crime and whose account might therefore prove it beyond question,we are left with only a few facts and an endless parade of books that speculate...Ms.Chaney's account is quite good considering that,in the end,she presents nothing that can really put the case to rest.

This is a terrific read! Well researched and well written. By the end of the book, I felt like I really knew Lizzie -- and even sympathized with her. Ms. Chaney does an admirable job conveying the the tragedy's complexities within such a few pages. I hope as a result Ms. Chaney gains a broad and much deserved readership.

Historical inaccuracies abound in this mediocre attempt of portraying the history and the heinous crime Lizzie Borden was accused and convicted. I think true crime historians would agree, New England Remembers is a feeble attempt to spin history.

New England Remembers lacks the sense of a well done crime novel. The writing style and structure does not support the thesis and the historical perspective is missing many key points. I can not recommend this book to anyone.

Don't breakout your credit cards for this book...Karen Chaney's book New England Remembers should be titled New England Should Forget This Book - besides the fact that the book is filled with historical inaccuracies (which raises the question is Karen Chaney a real crime historian?) it reads like a menu at a bad Chinese restaurant - "same old, same old."
New England Remembers is not insightful and not very thought provoking which translates to - better spend your money elsewhere.

Lizzie Borden is a great story and I recommend it to every reader. The non-fiction story is great and informational, the story takes place right in our back yard. The book is easy and to read and if you like true stories that are interesting then this is the book for you. For me, the story was really hard to put down so I was always reading it at night in bed. Since this is such a short story you would look forward to reading it I know I did. I really enjoyed reading this story because it's not one of these books that everyone reads and is really boring and the ending was really un- expected. The main problem I had was picking a book but when I saw this certain book I knew this was the book for me. The cover the introduction on the back just the whole book brought me in. I really recommend this book for every one I and I really enjoyed reading this book.

The Lizzie Borden "Axe Murder" Trial - A Headline Court Case, by Joan Axelrod-Contrada, a 106 page book, is a short, one session read. Have a snack nearby because you won't get much of a bite out of this one.

This is one of a series of famous court cases designed for the (I assume) Junior High or High School student studying famous cases. It's just enough to provide a fairly good overview of the basics of the case, sufficient enough to write a school report - simple essays, but certainly no term paper. Joan A-C manages to convey all the primary and essential aspects of the case presented in a crisp, concise order. In almost bullet-like paragraphs it covers the Inquest, Preliminary, Grand Jury, and Trial. Those four proceedings probably account for this particular case being a good one for a class study. It ends with very brief comparisons of the OJ Simpson case and Louise Woodard cases (yawn). However, handled well, I thought, given the consistent brevity throughout, was the information on the investigation into insanity and the question of what dress did Lizzie have on between 9:00 and 11:00 that morning.

The end notes indicate more research than probably was necessary considering the resultant shallow substance. The author extracted information from many websites on the subject, and for the first time in a new book on Lizzie, the Chapter Notes/Biblography citations have a generous sprinkling of the ".org" and ".html" references. "Bordenia" websurfers will recognize many of them and may even be surprised, as I was, for a couple of new and very interesting sites.

The book has a handsome cover but, alas, the many photographs are all those that we've seen dozens of times in dozens of books. The picture of Lizzie taken in 1905,when she was 44-45 and with pinch-nez glasses, is probably the least reproduced of the lot.

I'm always appreciative of anything new published on the case, even if the content is a regurgitation in synopsized format. For me, the striking disappointment is that it is so obviously "series-formulated" that it lacks any incentive or motivation to compel the uninformed reader to seek out other works on this extremely compelling and facinating case. While I give credit and due respect to Joan Axelrod-Contrada for achieving what was obviously the publishers intent with this series, as a book of substance, it ran the gamut from "A to C". (Forgive me Dorothy Parker).

This 128-page book seems aimed at young teenagers, but doesn't explain why they should read about this case. It gives a good overview of the case, comparable to Rick Geary's illustrated book, and is a simple introduction to this case.

The author lists many sources in the "Chapter Notes", some of which may not be readily available. Some of the sources are Internet sites. There is no rating on the quality of the books on this case. "Further Reading" does not list Arnold R. Brown's book, or David Kent's "Forty Whacks".

There is a problem in the quality of the books, as shown on page 98. Everyone before spoke of the sweltering hear of those August 1892 days. But one writer claims that this was a "myth" because of one newspaper report! No corroboration is given for this claim. Can you believe everything you read in the newspapers, then or now? Eyewitness testimony is more reliable than hearsay.

The books on the case fall into two categories: she did it (Pearson, Sullivan, etc.), or she didn't (Radin, Spiering, Brown, etc.). The jury said "not guilty" and no one can ever prove otherwise. Arnold R. Brown's book explains it all.

The author (VL) grew up on the next block in Fall River; VL knew Lizzie from the "dubious source of in-group hearsay". Lizzie Borden was the sane, civilized woman accused of a madman's crime. The case interests many because of her sole opportunity to commit the crime, yet the idea of guilt is incredible. There are two legends. One was a simple, warm hearted girl who became the victim of the police and an ambitious DA. The other was a grasping murderess who lusted after a fortune (p.29). Up on the Hill they thought Lizzie did it, also loved her Dad, but suffered from a "spell" or temporary insanity seen in some families. Lizzie's mother suffered from migraine and fits of rage (p.47). The author claims a form of epilepsy for the crime.
VL claimed Lizzie's inquest testimony told what specific facts Bridget was paid not to tell. But does anyone have any proof that Bridget was ever paid to shield Lizzie? Page 38 tells of the good works Lizzie did before the tragedy. VL read both volumes of the Trial transcript and the preliminary investigation. VL believed Uncle John was used in a scheme to get Abby away from the house that morning, and mailed a letter to cover it up. VL also tells how the Fall River Globe and Providence Journal were against Lizzie, while those who knew her Dad were not. VL imagines a hiding place from the testimony about not searching "2 or 3 dresses" (p.153). Wasn't this confession of "culpable negligence" just a trick to make the jury believe that dress was there? Page 121 tells of a "broken off handle", but common sense says it was sawn off! Page 210 tells about Jennings secret documents kept hidden to his dying day, and beyond, to prevent their use in "any new phases of police investigation". VL notes circumstantial evidence stands while eyewitnesses may lie or be mistaken, and is the only evidence available for crimes done in secret. It may be questioned by "the man in the street" because it assumes or infers from the facts (p.215).

VL says Lizzie was lucky in that her judge was appointed to the bench when her lawyer was Governor. But I wonder if assigning the right judge to the right case is just payback time (p.229). The book skips over Kieran's testimony and its importance (p.235)! Kieran could not see his assistant from the doorway when he was on the floor, and could only see him if he turned his head when going down the steps. VL is also wrong in stating the hatchet found in the cellar was the murder weapon; we know now that the murder weapon left a shred of gilt paint in Abby's skull, so it was fairly new. And Knowlton knew this! VL also omits Justice Dewey's quotes on evidence and experts (p.291-4); it is as true today as then.

The verdict of 'not guilty' was followed by a lengthy joyous pandemonium of cheers. The Providence Journal was alone in expressing dissatisfaction (p.296). Book Six tells of the aftermath. Lizzie's unpopularity resulted from two events. The suppression of "The Fall River Tragedy" (based on articles from a newspaper) meant that people could not reread the story. The Tilden-Thurber episode of alleged shoplifting was the last straw. Could the Yankees on the Hill accept parricide but choke on shoplifting (p.305)? VL quotes Phillips as to "signs of a lack of balance in later years" (p.306). And Lizzie became declasse after that big Maplecroft party for actors. VL says Bridget later moved to Montana, married, had children, and died aged 86 years (p.313). She concludes by telling about Lizzie's later years, death, and funeral. Emma broke a leg after hearing this, and and died ten days later. All lie buried in Oak Grove cemetery. In 1991 Arnold R Brown published his solution to the crime. Lizzie (and Emma and Uncle John) were innocent of the murders, but not of the cover-up. Her concocted explanation of an epileptic seizure seems to have been copied from Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep".

This account of the Borden murders by Victoria Lincoln is sometimes based on conjecture and has its errors; also sources are usually not cited. However, it's extremely informative in fact, quite plausible in theory, and probably the most entertaining Lizzie book in the non-fiction category. It won the Best Fact Crime Book award in 1967.

David Rehak
author "Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?"

Arnold Brown beats out Victoria Lincoln for the booby prize, but this is pretty bad. Ms. Lincoln tells us that she had been dining out on being the next door neighbor of the famous axe murderess for many years. And then Edward R. Radin had the gall to write a book, Lizzie Borden: The untold story (A Dell book), claiming that Lizzie was innocent. Well, Ms. Lincoln certainly wasn't going to stand for having her story ruined!

So she returned to Fall River, and discovered that she actually didn't live next to Lizzie Borden - the house was down the street. Never mind, she remembers everything else perfectly!

Ms. Lincoln tells us that she had an inside track. She was part of the apparently psychic upper crust of Fall River who knew what had happened. And most importantly, she and Lizzie were part of the same strata of a highly stratified society. No wait, actually, she tells us later, Lizzie Borden was a wannabe. And Lincoln herself was born eight years after the crime, but outside of that she was practically an eye witness.

Lincoln tells us at one point that everything in this new chapter was sworn to in court. This apparently includes the thoughts of Andrew Borden as he walked home - alone - in spite of the fact that he apparently only saw Lizzie and Bridget before his death and neither of them testified to being his confidant.

She informs us that Mrs. Borden must have sent Bridget outside to wash windows because she didn't want her to overhear an argument with Lizzie. This is because, as Lincoln helpfully tells us, we all know that fat women are lousy housekeepers, so she couldn't have sent her out because she wanted clean windows! Some writers have argued that Bridget disappeared with suspicious suddeness. I can easily understand why Bridget would want to go somewhere else, but Ms. Lincoln has a more compelling reason: the Irish are like that.

She also finds it damning that Lizzie started using the name Lizbeth, named her house, entertained actors, and that her middle name is mispelled on her tombstone. No doubt Lizzie/Lizbeth carved it herself. The odd thing is that Lincoln ends by arguing that Lizzie Borden couldn't leave Fall River, as she herself did. On the contrary, Ms. Borden, perhaps figuring that her story would follow her wherever she went, stayed in Fall River, but seems to have lived her life to suit herself. It is Victoria Lincoln who is still fretting over these trivialities, even if she did move away.

Edgar R. Radin did a lot of interesting, careful research, which Lincoln mostly ignores, as she ignores contradictory testimony at the trial. She also gives us vivid recountings of damning stories, only to finish by cheerfully telling us that actually, that is known to be false. Apparenty if Lizzie Borden allowed such ugly rumors to be attached to her name, she must be guilty!

Ms. Lincoln tells us that while all the other children avoided Lizzie as they would Lucrezia Borgia, she, darling, friendly little Victoria would often go down to visit her famous neighbor. She informs us that Ms. Borden seemed sometimes to be abstracted. After reading this, I imagine that she was hoping that little Victoria would go away if she wasn't encouraged.

I don't encourage reading this book either, at least without also reading Radin and/or David Kent's Forty Whacks: New Evidence in the Life and Legend of Lizzie Borden.

Didn't expect high grade for this price, but I think Dover has a better quality reproductions for a similar price.

Lizzie Borden: A Dance of Death, by Agnes De Mille

Agnes De Mille was best known for ballet and dance; this "work of art" will not displace those skills. Chapter 1 lists her acknowledgments. Many of her informants refused to be quoted (p.11). De Mille realizes their stories are what they "wish to remember" (p.12). But she "cross-checked whenever possible" (p.11). Judge Justin Dewey (not in this book) said an eyewitness without corroboration could be mistaken or lying. Chapter 2 describes the ruling class of Fall River: they starved their workers so they could live in luxury (p.13)! Power is established by the club or by the gun; the end result is money (p.14). De Mille is being coy here. "The love of money is the root of all evil."

Her history varies from other writers (pp.16-17), and not to her credit. Andrew was a self-made millionaire, and undoubtedly was looked down by those who inherited their wealth and lived on the hill. That is one reason for living among his middle-class neighbors (p.17). Lizzie's behavior seems like any teenager (pp.19-20). De Mille shows great imagination in her descriptions but skimps on the historical facts (p.21). The locked doors and windows were done "out of fear" (p.24). One funny legend is "staring outside windows of stores or stations" (p.27). Can De Mille be that credulous? They all sound like "urban legends" that can't be corroborated (p.29). De Mille again shows credulity in her quote "long after the trial" (p.36). "The idea of an intruder as murderer was reluctantly abandoned by the police" (p.54). [Yet that is the solution to this crime!] De Mille never mentioned the spontaneous general strike that occurred after the murders. The arrest of a suspect quelled this and sent them back to work. Lizzie's acquittal was met with cheers in the street (p.71). The disrepute came afterwards.

Chapter 3 contains De Mille's comments on her trip to Fall River with Joseph Welch. They visited the murder house and "Maplecroft". De Mille repeats the forged confession (p.107). The unnamed residents of a square granite house on the hill said "there was much more to it than anyone knew, that the truth was by no means known" (p.108). The daughter of Andrew Jennings displayed some of the trial exhibits. But not the defense notebooks (p.111). De Mille talks about life at the Borden's house. Some of it is third-hand, like the two men in the carriage (p.125). There is no corroboration here. The value of this book is in the first 3 chapters from De Mille's trip to Fall River and her reports on the conversations. It is only part of the whole truth, but contains some important items.

The second part "Fall River Legend" is about her personal life as a choreographer. Her personal tragedies gave her an insight into her plans for this ballet (pp.130-131). De Mille had no scruples about rewriting history (p.137). Was Lizzie suffering from unrequited love (p.135)? I found these chapters very boring, like gossip about unknown people. It is like a commercial for products you will never buy. Chapter 7 tells of the dreadful economics of the ballet theatre. Her last pages mention the interest in murder by people. This story motivated people to be more kindly towards their children (p.243)! Chapter 8 says dancers are underpaid (p.266). European governments lavish money on their ballet and opera (p.268). Our government started to finance the arts in 1965. [A sign of decadence?] Chapter 9 tells of their tour in Moscow in 1966, and the "Autumn River Legend". Chapter 10 has De Mille's verdict: Lizzie did it and "got away with it". The fascination of this case is: Lizzie couldn't have done it, but there was no other suspect.

Agnes De Mille was best known for ballet and dance; this "work of art" will not displace those skills. Chapter 1 lists her acknowledgments. Many of her informants refused to be quoted (p.11). De Mille realizes their stories are what they "wish to remember" (p.12). But she "cross-checked whenever possible" (p.11). Judge Justin Dewey (not in this book) said an eyewitness without corroboration could be mistaken or lying. Chapter 2 describes the ruling class of Fall River: they starved their workers so they could live in luxury (p.13)! Power is established by the club or by the gun; the end result is money (p.14). De Mille is being coy here. "The love of money is the root of all evil."

Her history varies from other writers (pp.16-17), and not to her credit. Andrew was a self-made millionaire, and undoubtedly was looked down by those who inherited their wealth and lived on the hill. That is one reason for living among his middle-class neighbors (p.17). Lizzie's behavior seems like any teenager (pp.19-20). De Mille shows great imagination in her descriptions but skimps on the historical facts (p.21). The locked doors and windows were done "out of fear" (p.24). One funny legend is "staring outside windows of stores or stations" (p.27).Can De Mille be that credulous? They all sound like "urban legends" that can't be corroborated (p.29). De Mille again shows credulity in her quote "long after the trial" (p.36). "The idea of an intruder as murderer was reluctantly abandoned by the police" (p.54). [Yet that is the solution to this crime!] De Mille never mentioned the spontaneous general strike that occurred after the murders. The arrest of a suspect quelled this and sent them back to work. Lizzie's acquittal was met with cheers in the street (p.71). The disrepute came afterwards.

Chapter 3 contains De Mille's comments on her trip to Fall River with Joseph Welch. They visited the murder house and "Maplecroft". De Mille repeats the forged confession (p.107). The unnamed residents of a square granite house on the hill said "there was much more to it than anyone knew, that the truth was by no means known" (p.108). The daughter of Andrew Jennings displayed some of the trial exhibits. But not the defense
notebooks (p.111). De Mille talks about life at the Borden's house. Some of it is third-hand, like the two men in the carriage (p.125). There is no corroboration here. The value of this book is in the first 3 chapters from De Mille's trip to Fall River and her reports on the conversations. It is only part of the whole truth, but contains some important items.

The second part "Fall River Legend" is about her personal life as a choreographer. Her personal tragedies gave her an insight into her plans for this ballet (pp.130-131). De Mille had no scruples about rewriting history (p.137). Was Lizzie suffering from unrequited love (p.135)? I found these chapters very boring, like gossip about unknown people. It is like a commercial for products you will never buy. Chapter 7 tells of
the dreadful economics of the ballet theatre. Her last pages mention the interest in murder by people. This story motivated people to be more kindly towards their children (p.243)! Chapter 8 says dancers are underpaid (p.266). European governments lavish money on their ballet and opera (p.268). Our government started to finance the arts in 1965. [A sign of decadence?] Chapter 9 tells of their tour in Moscow in 1966, and the "Autumn River Legend". Chapter 10 has De Mille's verdict: Lizzie did it and "got away with it". The fascination of this case is: Lizzie couldn't have done it, but there was no other suspect.

This is a good book for beginners or if you like the subject. Hypnosis and it's phenomenons are simply explained with some history on it and a wide practice. It was a very nice and easy reading with a lot of the basics for self hypnosis and hypnosis itself.

I have not purchased this book. In fact, I haven't even read the entire book. The subject matter sounded fascinating; so I skimmed it on line. I have been studying the Lizzie Borden case extensively so I used that chapter to determine if I would buy the book or not. I will not be buying it. How could this writer not have even the simplest facts correct? He states that Lizzie was the elder daughter. She was the younger, Emma was approximately 10 years older. He states that Emma had her own residence. She was actually visiting friends in another town and lived with Lizzie and Mr. and Mrs. Borden. I stopped reading at this point. You obviously can not trust any of the information presented in this book. I do wonder how this book was published.

As noted, this book is filled with numerous typos and flat-out grammar errors (the author might want to review the difference between "affect" and "effect").

Further, there are a significant number of factual errors in the book. For example, I'm sure Eugene McCarthy would be disappointed to learn that he is described as one of the architects of the 50's Red Scare.

Finally, perhaps most seriously, much of the text of at least one chapter is suspiciously similar to a major write-up on a web site (and I confirmed that the author of the web site is not the author of this book).

The major disappointment with this book was the almost total disregard for the facts in nearly every case. Even the most well-known circumstances are ignored or miscommunicated by the author.

Another disappointing thing was the horrible spelling and grammatical errors throughout the book, which makes it seem like you're reading a high school book report written by someone who did no research and didn't have spell-check on his computer. I expected a lot more from someone who teaches criminal justice at the college level.

I couldn't believe how many one star reviews this book garnered. Surely, I thought, its ambition and chitzpah alone would give it an extra star. How can you go wrong when you re-investigate so many intriguing questions?

Well, I don't know how he did it, but Fred Rosen missed the boat here big time. Reading his book is like being stuck in a bar with the world's most boring drunk telling you his opinions on everything.

The level of vulgarity and stupidity is total. For example, he asks rhetorically whether or not Lizzie Borden committed the murders in Fall River. His reply: "Does a bear s--t in the woods?" How classy is that, and for this sort of discourse we paid $14.95 for? What a waste of public space, and what a disservice this book performs all the way around. I had heard that he is a pretty good true crime writer, but if this book is any indication, Rosen's the bottom of the barrel.

Rosen's book lacks substance and good research. Some chapters are better than others, but alarmingly the more famous cases shows a real lack of research that even the most elementary of students will recognize to be errors presented as facts. As the previous reviewer pointed out (while so blatantly promoting her own enterprises) Lizzie Borden is a case in point.

For any true crime affionado, this is NOT essential reading.

Once again we hear about the brave and pious Spanish missionaries seeking to make the savage California natives "rational" while increasing their industry and saving their souls. Anyone who still can't see this for the hopelessly imperialistic and brutal enterprise it really was (and incidentally, most of the Baja natives are now extinct) might find this book enjoyable Sunday school reading.