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Elmer McCurdy: The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw
Elmer McCurdy The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw
Author: Mark Svenvold
Born 1880. Shot dead 1911. Buried 1977. This is the story of Elmer McCurdy, a failed plumber from Bangor, Maine, who drifted west to become a failed outlaw. He arrived in Oklahoma a few decades after the golden age of outlaws and attempted to resurrect the lost art of train robbing. In 1911, after a short spree of comically bungled robberies, a...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780465083497
ISBN-10: 0465083498
Publication Date: 10/1/2003
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 5

3 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Basic Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Elmer McCurdy: The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
What begins as a dark joke - a 100 year-old corpse being used as a fun-house dummy - turns into a wry, riveting look at the corpse's journey. Elmer McCurdy was a real life Oklahoma outlaw, a ne'er-do-well whose blundering led him precisely nowhere until he ended up in a forensics lab decades after his actual death. Full of humor and beautifully researched, "Elmer McCurdy" is a great read. Svenvold's style is loose yet casual, full of funny asides and interesting historical tidbits.
Read All 1 Book Reviews of "Elmer McCurdy The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw"


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