"Right or Wrong, God Judge Me"
The Writings of John Wilkes Booth
Superbly edited and annotated, this collection of the writings of John Wilkes Booth constitutes a major new primary source that contributes to scholarship on Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and nineteenth-century theater history. The nearly seventy documents--more than half published here for the first time--include love letters written during the summer of 1864, when Booth was conspiring against Lincoln, explicit statements of Booth's political convictions, and the diary he kept during his futile twelve-day flight after the assassination.
"This first work to gather all of the known writings of Booth offers important new information and insights into his activities and his character. . . . The research for the annotations is most impressive, and they add an important dimension to Booth's writings."--James M. McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
"'Right or Wrong, God Judge Me' is marvelous reading and makes a new and major contribution to Civil War history--to American history! In his own words and in the notes and introductions of the editors, Booth escapes his popular image as a mad bomber. The book shows us--far more convincingly than his sister's memoirs or the writings of his friends--what Booth really was and what he and so many, many others really thought Lincoln was. . . . [A] very sophisticated piece of work."--William Hanchett, author of The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies
"Rhodehamel and Taper have pulled together the most extensive record of what remains [of Booth's writings], more than doubling what had been published previously. . . . [They] have not only found new letters, but, through a useful introduction and extensive notes, put every document into context."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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