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The Baron of Arizona
Story of James Reavis and the Peralta Grant and the attempt to get tens of thousands of square miles of central Arizona.
- GenresHistory
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
E.H. Cookridge
15 books2 followersE.H. Cookridge is the pseudonymn of Edward Spiro.
He used several other pseudonymns, including Peter Leighton, Peter Morland,
Ronald Reckitt and Edward H Spire along with probably his most famous, E.H. Cookridge.
As Cookridge, he wrote his first book Secrets of the British Secret Service in 1948 and this contained 'some highly coloured versions of true events'.
Most of his works under the Cookridge pseudonymn are concerned with spies and spying, including books on George Blake and Kim Philby.
He used several other pseudonymns, including Peter Leighton, Peter Morland,
Ronald Reckitt and Edward H Spire along with probably his most famous, E.H. Cookridge.
As Cookridge, he wrote his first book Secrets of the British Secret Service in 1948 and this contained 'some highly coloured versions of true events'.
Most of his works under the Cookridge pseudonymn are concerned with spies and spying, including books on George Blake and Kim Philby.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 23, 2024
I bought this 1967 nonfiction tome on the basis of the Samuel Fuller/Vincent Price movie of the same title. In keeping with the low budget picture, I expected a quickie work of historical sensationalism, a tabloid-style lark that i could polish off in a couple of days. The bibliography of author Cookridge (the pen name of Edward Spiro) strengthened this expectation. Titles in Cookridge’s catalogue such as ‘Spy Trade’ and ‘Set Europe Ablaze!’ make him sound like a dimestore hack.
What I got with Baron was something much more earnest and thoughtful: an intelligently written, painstakingly researched and felicitously organized chronicle of a dark chapter in American history. Cookridge relays the wild exploits of James Addison Reavis, a flamboyant 19th Century con man, who nearly forged his way to illicitly owning 12 million acres of Arizona (or roughly a sixth of the state).
The material has that coveted quality of feeling stranger and more improbable than even the wildest work of fiction, and as presented here, it keeps us involved. If I have a criticism of Cookridge’s approach, it concerns his tendency to occasionally present Reavis’s confabulations - such as the alleged “royal” history of Mrs. Reavis, “The Baroness of Arizona” - as straightforward narrative, instead of repeatedly contextualizing it by stating, “Reavis claimed” or “Reavis concocted the story…” There is no question that Cookridge sees his subject as a fraudster and a pathological liar; by removing this context, he occasionally confuses the reader. This isn’t a fatal flaw - we can connect the dots - but it’s what prevents the book from being a modern classic in lieu of simply a lovely surprise.
This is not necessarily a quick read but it is a rewarding one - yet unlike Catch Me if You Can, this story ends on a heartbreaking note. You really grow to despise Reavis for his exploitation of impoverished Arizonans.
Reavis was without question a diabolical genius, and this book made me wonder what he might have accomplished if he’d simply applied that brilliance to something productive and humanitarian.
What I got with Baron was something much more earnest and thoughtful: an intelligently written, painstakingly researched and felicitously organized chronicle of a dark chapter in American history. Cookridge relays the wild exploits of James Addison Reavis, a flamboyant 19th Century con man, who nearly forged his way to illicitly owning 12 million acres of Arizona (or roughly a sixth of the state).
The material has that coveted quality of feeling stranger and more improbable than even the wildest work of fiction, and as presented here, it keeps us involved. If I have a criticism of Cookridge’s approach, it concerns his tendency to occasionally present Reavis’s confabulations - such as the alleged “royal” history of Mrs. Reavis, “The Baroness of Arizona” - as straightforward narrative, instead of repeatedly contextualizing it by stating, “Reavis claimed” or “Reavis concocted the story…” There is no question that Cookridge sees his subject as a fraudster and a pathological liar; by removing this context, he occasionally confuses the reader. This isn’t a fatal flaw - we can connect the dots - but it’s what prevents the book from being a modern classic in lieu of simply a lovely surprise.
This is not necessarily a quick read but it is a rewarding one - yet unlike Catch Me if You Can, this story ends on a heartbreaking note. You really grow to despise Reavis for his exploitation of impoverished Arizonans.
Reavis was without question a diabolical genius, and this book made me wonder what he might have accomplished if he’d simply applied that brilliance to something productive and humanitarian.
Displaying 1 of 1 review