A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans: Pirates, Skinflints, Patriots, and Other Colorful Characters Stuck in the Footnotes of History

As the cover blurb reminds us, countless fascinating characters are relegated to the footnotes of history, a situation that Michael Farquhar tries to remedy in this entertaining book. Farquhar shines a light on thirty characters who would otherwise remain shrouded in the mists of obscurity.One obvious problem is that some people *deserve* to languish in obscurity. Despite Farquhar's enthusiasm, not everyone profiled in this book lived an interesting, let alone a fascinating, life. A useful test question would have been "Is this someone I would enjoy sitting next to on a plane?" Had the author applied it, several characters would not have made the cut, and this would have been a better book. Farquhar, or his editors, might have realized that:* The sadly pedestrian criminal behavior of John Billington does not become interesting just because he was a passenger on the Mayflower.* It's a shame that Mary Dyer was hanged for her Quaker beliefs, but a mildly remarkable death doesn't mean her life was interesting.* That evangelist Zilpha Elaw was a black woman might be unusual, but doesn't make reading about her call to Jesus, and subsequent proselytizing, any less tedious.(You wouldn't invite Mary or Zilpha into your home for a riveting discussion of their religious enthusiasms; reading about them is no less unappealing. The guideline that other people's religious beliefs are not a good topic of conversation is a sensible one.)* The lives of Richard Johnson and Clement Vallandigham do nothing to dispel the conclusion that most unsuccessful politicians earn their obscurity.* A single accomplishment (e.g. inventing Mother's Day, or the Fosbury flop) may deserve nothing more than a footnote in history.Excluding the duds would have allowed a more expanded account of the genuinely interesting lives. I would have liked to learn more about these fascinating characters:Anne Bonney, pirate of the CaribbeanLouise Boyd, socialite and Arctic explorerMary Jemison, "white woman of the Genesee"Sarah Winnemucca, "Paiute princess"William J. Burns, "America's Sherlock Holmes"Gaston B. Means, "American scoundrel"Beulah Louise Henry, inventor, "the female Edison"Elizabeth Bentley, "Red Spy Queen"Rose O' Neale Greenhow, grande dame and spy.Oliver Perry, "Outlaw of the East"James Callender, muckraker for the First AmendmentIsaac Parker, "The Hanging Judge"Edwin Forrest, "First American Idol"Guy Gabaldon, "Pied Piper of Saipan"Each of these chapters left me wanting more. In particular, devoting fewer than three pages to Beulah Louise Henry seemed almost criminal. Vignettes of more even length, dedicated to the 20 most interesting characters, would have made for a much better book.But let's not quibble. 20 out of 30 is an excellent batting average. Farquhar writes very well, with an enthusiasm that is engaging. The format of the book makes it ideal for browsing. Although your choice and mine may differ, I'll wager that there will be at least half a dozen vignettes that will charm your pants off. Furthermore, if the chapter on Guy Gabaldon, the 18-year-old marine who singlehandedly took hundreds of Japanese prisoners at the end of World War II, isn't in that top half dozen, I'll eat my hat.****: or any other similarly-sized garment, of your choosing.Five stars, and thanks to Michael Farquhar for another terrific book!

After reading 'A Treasury of Royal Scandals' and being somewhat disappointed with it, I'm pleased to say I enjoyed this Farquhar book much more! Most of these people I'd never heard of. Some I had seen little snippets of on the History Channel (such as Mary Surratt and Anne Bonny), but never knew they're full claim to fame, so to speak.I really enjoy Mr. Farquhar's style of writing, and he tells each story as if he were sitting in front of you telling it. I also liked this about 'Royal Scandals', my issue with that book was mainly about content.Some of the chapters (each one about a different person) were very short. I'm assuming this is because, while the person may have done something big, there is very little information available about their life. Other's were much longer (like the story of William J. Burns - America's Sherlock), his life seems to have been very well documented. Some people I was completely uninterested in, and would get annoyed at how long their stories were (Richard Mentor Johnson comes to mind), while others I hated to see end (Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, Gaston B. means).Overall, if your interested in reading this, I say go for it. It's a great collection of people plucked from American historical obscurity, and through Mr. Farquhar, have voices one again (though some of them may not deserve to due to their truly evil deeds). I look forward to 'A Treasury of American Scandals', the last of this threesome I have left to read.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting snippets of life throughout American history, for anyone seeking a different yet easy read of non-fiction, or anyone who enjoys a good story. I was alternately delighted and saddened by some of these short biographies. I hope the author produces a sequel.

This is a great, well, bathroom read. Or something to leave in the car and pick up to browse through while waiting for the kid's soccer practice to end. Sitting down and just reading through it kinda muddles things together, so I'd recommend a break between chapters. However, you will learn a lot about American History in the process as the "foolishly forgotten" touch on so many other thing you may already know or think that you know.

Just finished reading this book, as I had bought it used via Amazon. I loved it. I love reading chapters about a particular character, and then Googling a bit more about the subject/person and finding out more about various subjects. What a fun read. I highly recommend it.

This book is very funny in many parts, but at the same time, it has chapters that are sad, and wondering why certain individuals have been dropped from human history. It is also a good historical book and I think readers will enjoy it as well. It is not as good as the book "Royal Scandals", by Michael Farqhar, but it is entertaining just the same!

sometimes this got a little long - I didn't read all the entries as they weren't interesting to me - maybe some people are just as well forgotten? jag

Made history way more understandable, and enjoyable.