Description
King of Heists is a spellbinding and unprecedented account of the greatest bank robbery in American history, which took place on October 27, 1878, when thieves broke into the Manhattan Savings Institution and stole nearly $3 million in cash and securities-around $50 million in today's terms. Bringing the notorious Gilded Age to life in a thrilling narrative, J. North Conway tells the story of those who plotted and carried out this infamous robbery, how they did it, and how they were tracked down and captured. The robbery was planned to the minutest detail by criminal mastermind George Leonidas Leslie-a society architect and ladies' man whose double life as the nation's most prolific bank robber led him to be dubbed the "King of the Bank Robbers." The New York Times proclaimed the 1878 heist "the most sensational in the history of bank robberies in this country." An absorbing tale of greed, sex, crime, betrayal, and murder, King of Heists blends all the richness of history with the thrills of the best fiction.
About the Author
J. North Conway is the author of King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America and eight other nonfiction books. He has been a daily newspaper reporter and editor, and a columnist and feature writer for the Providence Journal and Bostonia, the alumni publication of Boston University. He has worked as an editor/writer for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the second oldest international learned society in the country. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth and Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts. He previously taught at Boston University, Northeastern University, and Fisher College. He lives in Assonet, Massachusetts.
Reviews
"Engrossing . . . Conway skillfully paints a backdrop of fierce and flamboyant personalities who paraded across the Gilded Age, from Brooklyn Bridge engineer John Roebling to Marm Mandelbaum, 'queen of the criminals.' . . . [H]e capably recounts his story against a background of glitter and greed."-Publishers Weekly "...a page-turning account of one of the most brazen crimes of our time." -Reader's Digest "Conway, a college prof and ex-newspaper man, covers this ancient tale in a way that makes it feel like a hot news story." - New York Post
Book Information
ISBN 9781493040537
Author J. North Conway
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 336g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 14mm
About the Author
J. North Conway is the author of King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America and eight other nonfiction books. He has been a daily newspaper reporter and editor, and a columnist and feature writer for the Providence Journal and Bostonia, the alumni publication of Boston University. He has worked as an editor/writer for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the second oldest international learned society in the country. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth and Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts. He previously taught at Boston University, Northeastern University, and Fisher College. He lives in Assonet, Massachusetts.
Reviews
"Engrossing . . . Conway skillfully paints a backdrop of fierce and flamboyant personalities who paraded across the Gilded Age, from Brooklyn Bridge engineer John Roebling to Marm Mandelbaum, 'queen of the criminals.' . . . [H]e capably recounts his story against a background of glitter and greed."-Publishers Weekly "...a page-turning account of one of the most brazen crimes of our time." -Reader's Digest "Conway, a college prof and ex-newspaper man, covers this ancient tale in a way that makes it feel like a hot news story." - New York Post
Book Information
ISBN 9781493040537
Author J. North Conway
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 336g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 14mm
