Portland Confidential [Paperback]

Phil Stanford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

From a Portland Tribune columnist comes Portland Confidential, the story of Big Jim Elkins, a conman and criminal who arrived in Portland in 1937 and helped unleash prostitution, bootlegging, gambling, and drug running.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Gold Award Winner of Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year

IPPY Award Winner in True Crime

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Westwiinds Press (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558687939
• ISBN-13: 978-1558687936
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 1950's Portland --the True "Hollywood" Story, September 2, 2005

By 

Trevor Nesierge (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portland Confidential (Paperback)

Longtime residents of Portland will probably find Portland Confidential a quick, enjoyable read because they'll recognize the places and names Stanford peppers his story with. Portland residents will be less put off by Stanford's "conversational" narrative voice, as they have been reading him for years in his role as columnist for The Oregonian, and more recently the Portland Tribune. I suspect that out of towners and would find very little for them here.

Using a wealth of sources, anonymous and credited, Stanford revisits a time Portland civic leaders have long tried to forget: the corruption filled 1950s. In short, digestable, one newspaper column sized vignettes, Stanford generally cuts right to the chase: Portland was a bad, bad town.

The photographs chosen for this story are marvelous; they bring the story to life and really reflect the tone Stanford seems to be trying to achieve.

The story itself (if one can call it that, it ends up more like a long ramble that often doubles back on itself) is compelling. Like one of the other reviewers, I can't help but wonder how another writer would tell this tale.

That said, Stanford has spent his entire life cultivating the leads and the inside information that led to the publication of this book. Few others would have the wealth of infomation necessary to tell this tale. It serves as a reminder that the Golden 1950's had almost as much tarnish on them as the 2000s do.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Portland Confidential, December 27, 2004

By 

Oregon reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portland Confidential (Paperback)

As a Portland area resident, I was really exited to read this book. I was somewhat disappointed. . . Phil Stanford is a journalist, and the book reads like a collection of news clippings. The characters are colorful and interesting, and the photos added a lot to the book, but overall, I felt his coverage was somewhat cursory. I wanted more information, more historical background and more perspective. To be fair, however, I read this book immediately after reading The Devil in the White City. There, Eric Larson took a time in Chicago history, and created a masterpiece. Imagine the Portland Confidenital story/characters in the hands of a writer of that caliber!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahh Portland we hardly knew ya, December 13, 2007

By 

Scott Gregg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portland Confidential (Paperback)

My grandfather was a health inspector during this time and eventually quit because he refused to take bribes to look the other way regarding various establishments in Portland. This book is a quick and enjoyable read. The journalistic tone fits the subject matter and is, I think, a deliberate tone to suit the style. It is NOT a text book of the history of Portland. It is an entertaining look into the seedy past of a city not usually known for seediness. Though even today Portland has more strip clubs per capita than Vegas or LA, or any other city in the nation.