Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It? [Paperback]

David Rehak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2005

The Lizzie Borden murders took place in Fall River, Massachusetts, a port on Mount Hope Bay, at the mouth of the Taunton River. The city has numerous historical buildings and tourists come to see the famous battleship USS Massachusetts from World War 2. The ancient Indian name for the area is Quequechan, which means “falling water.” In 1656 the community was established by settlers hailing from Plymouth Colony. In 1811, the first cotton mill was established, and in time the city became well-known for its textile mills, which brought it prosperity well into the 1920s. It was these mills in large part that made Lizzie Borden’s father, Andrew, a rich man by 1892. David Rehak spent eight years (four years of study, two years of research, and two more years of writing and revision) in the production of this book. He became intrigued with Lizzie Borden after viewing an A&E television biography on her in 1996. According to Mr. Rehak, Lizzie was an average, unremarkable woman, and the most extraordinary, criminal or criminal suspect in history. Before she was accused of murder, she was a tiny grain of sand, an absolute nobody who no one took much notice of, and who would have lived a low profile life and vanished from the world’s memory like the flame of a candle. But after she was accused of murder, she became an unforgettable symbol and legend, an absolute somebody. The debate on whether Lizzie Borden was innocent or guilty brings out passionate feelings and disagreements in every sort of person. In fact, during the trial, according to the New York Times, it was estimated that about nineteen hundred marriages ended in divorce because of the intense difference of opinion between husbands and wives that the controversy created. The divide between those who believe she did the crime and those who don’t sometimes runs very deep. Did Lizzie Borden take an “axe” and kill her parents? This book reveals probabilities that should not be suppressed or ignored, certain probabilities that deserve scholarly consideration. This book has been revised from the original and has more vintage pictures, cartoons and information about the Lizzie Borden Mystery. Over 300 pages of interesting information and pictures.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Borden murders took place in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the house where it happened is today a Bed & Breakfast, perhaps the city's most popular and controversial tourist destination. The city has numerous other historical buildings as well, and tourists also come to see the famous battleship USS Massachusetts from World War II. But none of these other attractions come close to matching Lizzie Borden in notoriety, and indeed, popularity.

David Rehak spent eight years (four years of study, two years of research, and two more years of writing and revision) in the production of this book. He became intrigued with Lizzie Borden after viewing an A&E television biography on her in 1996. According to Mr. Rehak, Lizzie was an average, unremarkable woman, and the most extraordinary criminal or criminal suspect in history. Before she was accused of murder, she was a tiny grain of sand, an absolute nobody who no one took much notice of, and who would have lived a low-profile life and vanished from the world's memory like the flame of a candle. But after she was accused of murder, she became an unforgettable symbol and legend, an absolute somebody. The debate on whether Lizzie Borden was innocent or guilty brings out passionate feelings and disagreements in every sort of person. In fact, during the Trial, according to the New York Times, it was estimated that about nineteen hundred marriages ended in divorce because of the intense difference of opinion between husbands and wives that the controversy created. The divide between those who believe she did the crime and those who don't sometimes runs very deep. Did Lizzie Borden take an "axe" and kill her parents?

"Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?" has been the "best-selling" book on Lizzie Borden since its initial publication, and here it is again in print. This new improved re-edited edition is revised and abridged and streamlined with a focus on better, more interesting and more relevant information, including over 20 new photos. 70 photographs and illustrations in all. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

DAVID REHAK is a Lizzie Borden researcher whose primary interest is in trying to uncover new, rare, or overlooked Bordenia. He is the author of several crime suspense novels, and has worked with police as a freelance private detective distinguished for his strong mind and exceptional investigative skills. In addition to his work as a true crime scholar of the Borden case, Rehak is an expert on the life and work of the master of the short story and novella, Guy de Maupassant. His intellectual interests also lie in the study of religious and ethical philosophy, and human sexuality. David currently lives in the Czech Republic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Just My Best Book Publishing Company; illustrated edition edition (August 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932586334
• ISBN-13: 978-1932586336
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,233,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Key ingredients for a great crime story", June 1, 2008

By 

Linda Bulger (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? (Paperback)

There are many unsolved murders in history, but few hold the public interest like the 1892 slayings of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie, 32 years old at the time, was tried for the murders and found innocent but as David Rehak points out, her acquittal was never fully endorsed by public opinion. He proposes that the story lives on in part because the public sees Lizzie as either (a) having acted out their own fantasy of retribution, or else (b) as a symbol of gross suspicion and injustice. There was family disharmony, a large inheritance under dispute, a suspect of unblemished reputation, and a mountain of fact and speculation that defied integration into a sound case.

Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? is a compendium of Bordenia that is sure to enlighten all with an interest in this mystifying case. David Rehak, known for his works of fiction, developed an interest in the case and researched meticulously before presenting this book. The current edition has been amplified and re-issued, and there are a few editing flaws in this new version that could have been addressed to bump my rank up to five stars. In spite of this, I found it an absorbing and extremely thorough canvass of the facts and speculations about the case. There are many photographs included, some of them previously unpublished.

Starting with a thorough chronology of the fateful day in August 1892, Rehak goes on to examine the sometimes-confusing facts from the public record. Next he covers the speculation and rumor that emerged in his research. The suggestion of a never-revealed diary, theories about Lizzie's relationships and sexuality, and stories from her later life are detailed fastidiously. The sites and "shrines" associated with Lizzie's life and the murders are covered--the house where the Bordens lived and died is now a bed-and-breakfast hotel.

The final section of the book is the most unusual. Rehak discusses a number of articles in print that relate to the case. He details the non-disclosure of case-related documents held by Lizzie's trial attorney which are protected by legal privilege. There is a challenge to this status from a number of parties, with the argument being made that historical interest trumps privilege in this case, with all participants being long dead. Will we ever see the contents of the five file drawers secured in a law firm in Springfield, Massachusetts?

As a final serving of Bordenia, the book finishes with some fictional writings featuring Lizzie and the case. Here the speculations are given free rein! It's an entertaining finish to a sad story. Our desire to know what actually happened to Andrew and Abby Borden may never be satisfied, but Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? takes the discussion forward in a most entertaining fashion.

Linda Bulger, 2008

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No axe for this book!, August 17, 2008

By 

Claus J. Engel - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? (Paperback)

Well written, great research and good photos. Anybody who appreciates
good documentation and entertainment will love this book.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique book for those already fascinated by Lizzie Borden, October 14, 2005

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It? (Paperback)

There have been many books written about Lizzie Borden, and David Rehak's Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It? makes for quite a unique entry in that list. It doesn't represent an attempt to prove that so-and-so did or did not commit the murders, nor does it delve deeply into the minutiae of all the evidence. It does, however, introduce you to a lot of ancillary yet quite interesting tidbits and speculations about the life of Lizzie Borden. If you just want to know all the gory details of the murders and see someone make a case for Lizzie or some other suspect, this isn't really where you want to start your journey back to the Fall River of 1892. This is a book for those already knowledgeable about the case and firmly in the camp of the fascinated. Of all the unsolved murders that have taken place over so many years, why does this case captivate us so much? What is it about Lizzie Borden that fascinates so many of us all these decades after her death? These are the kinds of questions David Rehak tries to answer here, and that is what makes this book unique.

Naturally, Rehak first lays out the facts of the crime that left Lizzie Borden's father and step-mother hacked to death inside their seemingly sedate Victorian home. The chronology is crucial to this case, as the murders took place over an hour apart, so Rehak naturally takes us through the timeline. Then he offers arguments as to why Lizzie did or did not commit the crime. This is what makes the case so fascinating. When you read all of the circumstantial evidence pointing to Lizzie, you think she had to be guilty; then you read the reasons why she could not have done it, and you would swear she had to be innocent. Rehak goes on to mention possible suspects and comment upon the solutions offered by a few Borden "experts."

The focus of the book then shifts from the murders squarely onto Lizzie herself. Guilty or not, who was this woman? Rehak looks at the years she lived after her acquittal and tries to penetrate the mysteries of her personal life. He examines Lizzie as a romantic, addresses speculation that she had been a victim of incest, that she was a lesbian, that she was a kleptomaniac. He refers to rumors and speculation (one woman claimed she stole the underwear off a dead body, for instance) that you won't find in other Lizzie books because they are outside the bounds of fact. To really know Lizzie, though, you have to look at the image others had of her because image and identity do intersect at some point. The most intriguing thing in this section of the book is reference to a possible collection of Lizzie's personal diary, poems, and letters - although there's no proof that the person making the claim is telling the truth. He later follows this up with a section of miscellaneous articles he has written about the subject - a look at Nance O'Neil, the flamboyant actress who was rumored to enjoy a romantic relationship with Lizzie; speculation about some of the witnesses; a look at the likelihood that someone from outside the home could have committed the murders; a refutation of Arnold Browne's identification of Billy Borden as the killer; etc.

Those fascinated by the murders naturally have a great desire to visit the scene of the crime (which is a bed and breakfast now), and Rehak turns travel guide temporarily and points out all the Lizzie shrines you can visit in Fall River. In the final sections, he offers us a hodgepodge of material - fiction, poetry, and humorous musings written about Lizzie. These truly tangential sections proved less than interesting to me, but they certainly bear the mark of the author's obsession with Lizzie Borden. Rehak is trying to get at the real Lizzie Borden every way he can, and that's something I can certainly understand and appreciate. That's also why I would recommend the book to those who are already familiar with the murders and the trial and remain fascinated by the woman at the center of all the controversy and speculation.