- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (17 Feb 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0471267058
- ISBN-13: 978-0471267058
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 16.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 437,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History
"The facts are presented clearly and concisely, and the answers have been thoroughly researched using the most up–to–date sources."
–Newark Star Ledger
"Everything that would make a great detective story. It has intellectual twists and turns, alleyways and dead ends; it has politics, espionage, intrigue, murder, cowardice, greed, courage, battles, liars, and frauds."
– New Strait Times
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true–life mysteries."
–Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of History
"Draws intelligently and entertainingly on respected–and disputed–primary volumes. . . . Reading a chapter aloud to a group would almost guarantee a lively evening."
–Baltimore Sun
"Unerring good sense and . . . well–paced prose."
–Petersburg Monitor
"Solid speculation . . . full of clever advice."
–Associated Press
"Aron′s latest offering proves again that history can be fun and as strange, at least, as fiction."
–Booklist
"The facts are presented clearly and concisely, and the answers have been thoroughly researched using the most up–to–date sources."
–Newark Star Ledger
"Everything that would make a great detective story. It has intellectual twists and turns, alleyways and dead ends; it has politics, espionage, intrigue, murder, cowardice, greed, courage, battles, liars, and frauds."
– New Strait Times
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true–life mysteries."
–Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of History
"Draws intelligently and entertainingly on respected–and disputed–primary volumes. . . . Reading a chapter aloud to a group would almost guarantee a lively evening."
–Baltimore Sun
"Unerring good sense and . . . well–paced prose."
–Petersburg Monitor
"Solid speculation . . . full of clever advice."
–Associated Press
"Aron′s latest offering proves again that history can be fun and as strange, at least, as fiction."
–Booklist
From the Inside Flap
Did St. Brendan the Navigator discover America, centuries before Columbus? Was Aaron Burr a traitor? Who was Watergate’s Deep Throat? In this encore to Unsolved Mysteries of American History, Paul Aron offers crisp, clear–eyed analyses of still more puzzles that perplex American historians. Drawing on the latest research, he marshals the evidence on thirty enduring historical riddles, including:
- Did Lincoln provoke the attack on Fort Sumter?
- Who was Emily Dickinson’s "Master"–the man (or woman) who inspired her love poems?
- Why did Custer attack, ignoring orders to wait for reinforcements?
- What sank the Lusitania–and pushed the United States to enter World War I?
- Did Shoeless Joe Jackson throw the 1919 World Series?
- Why didn’t the Allies bomb Auschwitz?
- Who was to blame for the Bay of Pigs fiasco?
- What has J. D. Salinger written since he stopped publishing?
- Did James Earl Ray really kill Martin Luther King Jr.?
- Were POWs left behind in Vietnam?
- Who killed Jimmy Hoffa?
- Was O. J. Simpson guilty?
For each mystery, Aron lays out the facts, deftly summarizing competing theories, and judiciously weighing the evidence. Complete with extensive suggestions for further reading, his book is a fun way to explore some of America’s most intriguing historical conundrums–and a fascinating read from first page to last.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Reviewer: semloh2287 from Portland, OR USA
Since reading Paul Aron's "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" and "Unsolved Mysteries of History," I've been looking forward to the sequel--and here it is!
"More Unsolved Mysteries of American History" presents thirty mysteries in a series of brief essays (about seven pages apiece). The chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with the question "Did St. Brendan Discover America?" and ending with "Was O.J. Simpson Guilty?"
Since reading Paul Aron's "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" and "Unsolved Mysteries of History," I've been looking forward to the sequel--and here it is!
"More Unsolved Mysteries of American History" presents thirty mysteries in a series of brief essays (about seven pages apiece). The chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with the question "Did St. Brendan Discover America?" and ending with "Was O.J. Simpson Guilty?"
Aron is very fair in his summary of each mystery. In clean and simple prose, he lays out the background, summarizes the competing theories and offers a reasoned solution, ending each essay with a brief but thorough annotated bibliography.
If you are looking for a book that offers sensational solutions to mysteries real or imagined, you'll probably be disappointed by the "Unsolved Mysteries" series. Aron fairly summarizes the "off the wall" theories about each of his mysteries, but he always comes to a conclusion that seems pretty plausible. No space aliens, Elvis sightings or grassy knolls here, but there's still plenty of mystery to be explored and enjoyed.
If you like this book, you'll want to read Aron's two previous books (one is another collection of American historical mysteries, the other examines the mysteries of world history). For those who enjoy somewhat more sensational solutions to their historical mysteries, try Hugh Miller's "Secrets of the Dead" and "More Secrets of the Dead," based on the BBC documentary series of the same name.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
History's Mysteries
13 Mar 2004
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Since reading Paul Aron's "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" and "Unsolved Mysteries of History," I've been looking forward to the sequel--and here it is!
"More Unsolved Mysteries of American History" presents thirty mysteries in a series of brief essays (about seven pages apiece). The chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with the question "Did St. Brendan Discover America?" and ending with "Was O.J. Simpson Guilty?"
Aron is very fair in his summary of each mystery. In clean and simple prose, he lays out the background, summarizes the competing theories and offers a reasoned solution, ending each essay with a brief but thorough annotated bibliography.
If you are looking for a book that offers sensational solutions to mysteries real or imagined, you'll probably be disappointed by the "Unsolved Mysteries" series. Aron fairly summarizes the "off the wall" theories about each of his mysteries, but he always comes to a conclusion that seems pretty plausible. No space aliens, Elvis sightings or grassy knolls here, but there's still plenty of mystery to be explored and enjoyed.
If you like this book, you'll want to read Aron's two previous books (one is another collection of American historical mysteries, the other examines the mysteries of world history). For those who enjoy somewhat more sensational solutions to their historical mysteries, try Hugh Miller's "Secrets of the Dead" and "More Secrets of the Dead," based on the BBC documentary series of the same name. Both of Miller's books can be found on Amazon's UK site.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Clear, Consise, Informative
28 May 2007
Format:Hardcover
Author Paul Aron examines 30 different mysteries of U.S. History. Was Aaron Burr a traitor? Did James Earl Ray kill Martin Luther King? Was Alger Hiss a spy? What caused the Gulf War Syndrome? Was O.J. Simpson guilty? The author attempts to provide the answers in concise yet informative chapters that run between six and ten pages. I liked that the author seemed motivated by an honest search for the truth rather than by some desire to make political statements. For that reason alone, his conclusions seem valid. Of course, while the answers to a couple of these mysteries seem obvious, others cannot be answered with certainty. For that reason the author gives what he admits is his best guess. Also, a couple of the author's conclusions seem superfluous. But, overall this book is informative, readable and intelligent.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Clear, Well-Balanced and Fascinating
3 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover
This book contains 30 cases of unsolved mysteries. Each case is described in about 6 to 7 pages and is followed by a list of annotated references. Like the two other similarly titled and excellent books by this author, this one is clearly written in a very friendly and engaging style - it is quite hard to put down. In each case, the author succeeds in presenting the relevant information in a well-balanced and even-handed way by shedding light on arguments from all sides with the relative fairness that they each deserves. It is clear that some cases are more complicated and thus are more difficult to resolve than others. I was aware of the existence of some of these mysteries, but in many cases, I was not aware of any mystery at all. Thus, I learned something from each of these fascinating cases. This book would be interest to those who enjoyed this author's previous books of this nature, as well as to anyone who enjoys great mysteries.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > History > North America
- Books > History > Reference
- Books > History > World History
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
