The Good, the Bad & the Mad: Weird People in American History [Paperback]

E. Randall Floyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

Probes the dark side of more than 40 unforgettable men and women who made history in profound, sometimes shocking ways.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Good, the Bad and the Mad: Weird People in American History, dares go where few other books have gone before--behind the headlines and datelines to probe some of the strangest people in American history.

Here we come face-to-face with some of the most famous movers and shakers in American history--"Stonewall" Jackson, George Armstrong Custer, Nat Turner, Huey Long, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Isadore Duncan, and many others, including the Goat Man of Dixie, Nikola Tesla, P.T. Barnum, Edgar Cayce, Marcus Garvey, Tecumseh and Lizzie Borden. Instead of rehashing the time-worn facts, Mr. Floyd, a historian, journalist, screenwriter and author of seven previous books, focuses on the "dark side" of these notoriously naughty individuals.

This "wickedly delightful" little collection of mini-biographies shows there is "more to history than meets the eye," and is bound to please readers of all ages, from mid-schools through adult years. Highly recommended. -- anonymous

About the Author

E. Randall Floyd is a motion picture screenwriter and best-selling author of several books, including Deep in the Heart, The Good, the Bad and the Mad: Weird People in American History and 100 of the World’s Greatest Mysteries: Strange Secrets of the Past Revealed. His latest book is In the Realm of Ghosts and Hauntings.

A former European correspondent for United Press International, he worked for The Florida Times-Union and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He later lectured at Georgia Southern University and Augusta State University. He is also a former nationally syndicated newspaper columnist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Harbor House (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891799150
• ISBN-13: 978-1891799150
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,013,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad Journalism,flubbed facts,dumb author, March 13, 2008

By 

Charles H. Levenson "chubbybuns" (new jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Good, the Bad & the Mad: Weird People in American History (Paperback)

According to the author of this book,E.Randall Floyd,he'kept notes and collected biographical data,tons of it"on the 40 or so subjects of this book...Now while I do not suggest that I can dispute every entry,there are several people here that Randall has profiled using faulty or flat-out made up data,which is suggestive to me that most and perhaps all of his mini-biographies are flawed...Take,for example,Lizzie Borden...according to Randall"...at her trial lizzie gave a bewildering array of conflicting stories about her whereabouts during the murder"WRONG ! Lizzie Borden DID NOT TESTIFY AT HER OWN TRIAL !Indeed the trial record clearly states that her one comment was that she would have her lawyers speak for her!So how come Randall has Lizzie making these"conflicting accounts"?Because they were made AT THE INQUEST,NOT THE TRIAL,and,because they were made without benifit of an attorney's advice they were never admitted as evidence at her trial.One would think that something as basic as this would not have been missed,or misunderstood by any REAL journalist.Then there is the notion,on Randall's part that the alledged murder weapon was discovered "in a toolshed out back"WRONG AGAIN !The item in question was discovered in the basement of the Borden home.Later on Randall claims that"a few years before her death" lizzie vacated her parents working class home in order to move into a mansion on the fashionable"hill" section of Fall River...Lizzie did this within one year of her aquittal,in the 1890s,and did not actually die until 1927,about thirty years afterwards..the list of mistakes and omissions IN THIS ONE ENTRY ALONE are almost endless,which leads me to believe that there are other entries with similiarly botched research(if what Randall has done here can even be called such)...I mean,if we are going to write fiction,Mr.Randall,we really ought to identify it as such.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy...Entertaining...Fascinating!, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good, the Bad & the Mad: Weird People in American History (Paperback)

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I bought it because I have read some of Professor Floyd's other books and liked them all, especially the "unsolved mystery" varieties. This book was fascinating! In fact, I liked it so much I read it through at a single sitting. My wife kept asking: "What are you doing?" I kept saying, "I'm reading about Stonewall Jackson." A few minutes later, she'd ask: "What are you doing?" And I'd say: "I'm reading about General Custer." So it went for about three hours. From Jackson and Custer to Huey Long and Cotton Mather and Isadore Duncan. These were definitely some of the strangest people in American history! After reading the book, I passed it on to my brother, a history professor in Alamaba. Just wanted to say thanks for a fascinating book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading!!!, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good, the Bad & the Mad: Weird People in American History (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of "mini-biographies" by E. Randall Floyd. These people were truly good, bad and mad--and definitely "weird" in every sense of the word.

I have passed this book along to several friends who have also enjoyed learning so much "dark stuff" about some of America's greatest literary, artistic and historical icons. I hope to see a follow-up book very soon!!!