New Encyclopedia of American Scandal [Paperback]

George Childs Kohn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For the purposes of this book, editor Kohn (The Dictionary of Historic Documents) has defined a scandal as "a grave loss of or injury to reputation resulting from actual or apparent breach or violation of morality, ethics, propriety, or law." Entries span from the 1600s to the present and range from the false accusation of dishonesty against Isaac Allerton (1630) to Watergate (1972) to John and Lorena Bobbitt (1993) and Thomas Capano (1998). Whitewater is cross-referenced to an article titled "Bill Clinton: Impeached U.S. President," while President Clinton's sexual escapades are discussed in the entry "Bill Clinton: Slick Willie's Womanizing and Lying." There is no cross reference from Travelgate to Vince Foster; nor is there an entry for Hillary Clinton. Some topics, including Karen Silkwood, Lizzie Borden, and Claus Von Bulow, are included simply because they are still of interest to readers and meet the book's broad definition of scandal. The information is brief (from a column to two pages) but accurate. A few photos are interspersed throughout the text, as in most Facts On File publications. This affordable and useful title is recommended for public and academic libraries. (Bibliography and index not seen.)DLaurie Selwyn, San Antonio P.L., TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Part of Bill Clinton's legacy is to show up in these pages along with the likes of Clifford Irving and the Mayflower Madam. Beside Clinton, the new edition (the first was published in 1989) adds material on Tonya Harding, O. J. Simpson, and the Tailhook scandal, among others. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Facts On File (1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965170403
• ISBN-13: 978-0965170406
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,355,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent encyclopedia of scandals!, February 3, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Encyclopedia of American Scandal ([Facts on File library of American history]) (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is simply jam-packed with information on scandals both recent and old. I picked up the book to read something about the scandal that ruined Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and found an excellent synopsis of it. Reading on through the book, I read about many scandals that I had heard about (such as Father Coughlin, the 1982 Congressional Page scandal, and much more), and quite a few that I had not (Supreme Court Justices forced to resign, murders, divorces, sexual scandals, and much, much more).

As might be expected with a book that is organized like an encyclopedia, this book covers many subjects, but none of them to any great depth. But, I do not consider that to be negative. What this book tried to be, it succeeds at being, quite admirably. It covered everything scandal I could think of, and succeeded in giving me a basic understanding in the shortest time possible. Therefore, if you are interested in reading about the many scandals that have flamed up throughout American history, then I highly recommend that you get this book!