Ghosts of Newport: Spirits, Scoundrels, Legends and (Paperback)

~ John T. Brennan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Today's Newport attracts countless visitors from around the world; its streets are alive with art, culture, wealth and beauty. Yet the city harbors echoes of a dark and turbulent past, including a variety of haunted sites: the Jailhouse Inn, Astor's Beechwood, the White Horse Tavern--America's oldest tavern--and many more. These stories show a side of Newport that history books alone could never tell, and help you peer past the city's gilded facade to discover dark secrets sure to spook and surprise.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: The History Press (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596293357
• ISBN-13: 978-1596293359
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #773,344 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great surprise, October 30, 2007

By	Wayne Paterson "allpar2" (Teaneck, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

While the focus is on, as the subtitle proclaims, "Spirits, Scoundrels, Legends, and Lore," the book provides a large amount of background on Rhode Island, the Providence Plantations, and, of course, Newport itself.

If you ever go to Newport, one-time playground of the world's wealthiest men, this book is almost essential; and even if you never plan to go, it's interesting, well-written, and nicely illustrated. I was grabbed in the first chapter by the story of the Jailhouse Inn, a renovated colonial prison:

"The Newport Jailhouse was not designed to be completely escape-proof. It was never considered particularly strong or secure. Especially early in Newport history, jail sentences were rare; colonists preferred public humiliation as punishment for crimes."

I was surprised by how well written and well researched this book is. Most of the photography was very good, too - and there's lots of it (though some photos are a bit muddy, which I believe is the publishers' fault based on my experience with print).