Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem

A collection of 30 portraits of "bad guys" throughout American history, this book covers a range of badness from horrifically evil to momentary lapses into wrongdoing that had lasting negative impact. While a few characters are well known, such as Ed Gein, the role model for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, most are forgotten figures of the past. The cast includes slave traders, pirates, murderers, swindlers, lawmen gone vicious, crooked politicians, hucksters, prostitutes, gold diggers, and many more. This work is the inverse of Martin's (former editor, National Geographic; Secret Heroes) previous book which covered lesser-known "good guys" throughout American history and their positive impacts. Well-researched and engagingly told with rich detail, each portrait reads like fiction and includes a photograph or other image of the subject. The characters are colorful, brazen, and unforgettable; their stories disturbing, yet enthralling. Martin's goal is not to be a moralist, but rather to provide entertaining accounts about America's ne'er-do-wells.