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Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem
Everyone loves a good villain! From the back pages of history, vivid, entertaining portraits of little-known scoundrels whose misdeeds range from the simply inept to the truly horrifying.Even if you're an avid history buff, you've probably never heard of this disreputable cast of A drunken, ne'er-do-well cop who abandoned his post at Ford's Theatre, giving assassin John Wilkes Booth unchallenged access to President Lincoln; a notorious Kansas quack who made millions by implanting billy goat testicles in gullible male patients; and America's worst female serial killer ever. These are three of the memorable but little-known rogues profiled in this eye-opening and entertaining book.Dividing his profiles into three categories—villains, scoundrels, and rogues—author and former National Geographic editor Paul Martin serves up concise, colorful biographies of thirty of America's most outrageous characters. Whether readers choose to be horrified by the story of Ed Gein, Alfred Hitchcock's hideous inspiration for Psycho, or marvel at the clever duplicity of the con artist who originated the phony bookie operation portrayed in The Sting, there's something here for everyone.Brimming with audacious, unforgettable characters often overlooked by standard history books, this page-turner is a must for anyone with an interest in the varieties of human misbehavior.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 7, 2019
The past comes alive in Paul Martin's compilation of villains, scoundrels and rogues from history.
Although many of these people were famous in their own time, they've largely slipped into the shadows for most modern readers. ... What makes these figures worthy of note is that their life stories all read like fiction. From the introduction.
And they really do. From the truly terrible like serial killers, including one who wore a suit made of human skin, to the less terrible like fraudsters and a counterfeiter of one dollar bills, these are people who made their mark on history in one way or another.
I find this kind of non-fiction absolutely fascinating. It makes me wonder, these are the stories that almost slipped through the cracks. How many note-worthy people have been completely forgotten?
I have a small quibble about how this book was organized. Martin takes the reader from the awful to less-awful, which seems anticlimactic. Shouldn't it have gone the other way?
Also, Martin editorializes somewhat at the end of each chapter, so if you're looking for just history and no opinions, this might not work for you.
With those few reservations, I'd recommend this for readers looking to expand their trivia knowledge and for fans of history. I really enjoyed it.
Although many of these people were famous in their own time, they've largely slipped into the shadows for most modern readers. ... What makes these figures worthy of note is that their life stories all read like fiction. From the introduction.
And they really do. From the truly terrible like serial killers, including one who wore a suit made of human skin, to the less terrible like fraudsters and a counterfeiter of one dollar bills, these are people who made their mark on history in one way or another.
I find this kind of non-fiction absolutely fascinating. It makes me wonder, these are the stories that almost slipped through the cracks. How many note-worthy people have been completely forgotten?
I have a small quibble about how this book was organized. Martin takes the reader from the awful to less-awful, which seems anticlimactic. Shouldn't it have gone the other way?
Also, Martin editorializes somewhat at the end of each chapter, so if you're looking for just history and no opinions, this might not work for you.
With those few reservations, I'd recommend this for readers looking to expand their trivia knowledge and for fans of history. I really enjoyed it.
May 25, 2019
Some interesting stories.
September 5, 2014
I'm all for collections of stories/essays about people that have shaped American life and history. If you are too, then this book is also for you.
The book is split into three sections: Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues...apt title.
The villains are truly the evil people in history we know nothing about, like corporate slave owners or Nazi propagandists.
The scoundrels are the effing jerks in society that we hate and either get away with it because they can or die trying. These guys and dolls are the gangstahs and politicians.
The rogues--now I feel sorry for the rogues. They're the everyday stupid criminal who didn't necessarily seek to hurt anyone, but because they're stupid or selfish or better yet, a product of circumstance and/or their environment, they end up amassing a fortune in unconventional ways.
My problem with the book? And its a biggie: Paul Martin's tendency to be overly judgmental. Like we get it...they were bad or mean. But he goes far out of his way to bog you down with paragraphs and needlessly snooty sentences about how rotten they were. He's like the Geraldo Rivera of criminal historians.
And that's not a good thing.
The book is split into three sections: Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues...apt title.
The villains are truly the evil people in history we know nothing about, like corporate slave owners or Nazi propagandists.
The scoundrels are the effing jerks in society that we hate and either get away with it because they can or die trying. These guys and dolls are the gangstahs and politicians.
The rogues--now I feel sorry for the rogues. They're the everyday stupid criminal who didn't necessarily seek to hurt anyone, but because they're stupid or selfish or better yet, a product of circumstance and/or their environment, they end up amassing a fortune in unconventional ways.
My problem with the book? And its a biggie: Paul Martin's tendency to be overly judgmental. Like we get it...they were bad or mean. But he goes far out of his way to bog you down with paragraphs and needlessly snooty sentences about how rotten they were. He's like the Geraldo Rivera of criminal historians.
And that's not a good thing.
November 10, 2016
Although the title doesn't indicate it, this book is fun. Written in short chapters, it profiles the lives of some of the great con men/women from all periods of American history, most of whom are practically unknown to the general public The author notes that"evil can sometimes be more interesting than good" and the individuals in this book were, for the most part (with a couple of exceptions), rather clever and their crimes not horrific, just illegal.
I was only familiar with four of the thirty scoundrels that the author chose but they were dandies!!! My favorite was the "frugal counterfeiter" who got away with his trade for years because he only counterfeited one dollar bills. No one paid attention to such a small bill even though they were rather poorly done. Now that is a scam!!
This is one of those lunch time books that can be read whenever you have a few minutes. Give it a try.
I was only familiar with four of the thirty scoundrels that the author chose but they were dandies!!! My favorite was the "frugal counterfeiter" who got away with his trade for years because he only counterfeited one dollar bills. No one paid attention to such a small bill even though they were rather poorly done. Now that is a scam!!
This is one of those lunch time books that can be read whenever you have a few minutes. Give it a try.
April 19, 2014
Paul Martin introduces us to a number of interesting people who have lived in the US through the years. From what I could see from his biography, Paul Martin is a journalist, which probably explains his inability to get deep into the background of his subjects, and his habit of speculating on the motive and thoughts of his subjects.
One annoying habit of his, is when he describes a scene, and tells us what the person who he is writing about is thinking. How would he know?
Paul Martin also appears rather naive and as lacking knowledge about history - several times he expresses wonder about how some villain or scoundrel could also be a deeply religious man. If there is anything history has demonstrated, it is that religion (or lack of it) is no indication of morality.
One annoying habit of his, is when he describes a scene, and tells us what the person who he is writing about is thinking. How would he know?
Paul Martin also appears rather naive and as lacking knowledge about history - several times he expresses wonder about how some villain or scoundrel could also be a deeply religious man. If there is anything history has demonstrated, it is that religion (or lack of it) is no indication of morality.
May 29, 2018
First, everyone does NOT love a good villain and not just because there is no such thing. The Villains third of this collection of short pieces of lesser-known bad guys and gals from America were pretty much all revolting individuals who treated other people horribly.
Things sometimes got less extreme in the Scoundrels and Rogues sections, thankfully.
Generally, I liked the reporting parts of Mr. Martin's work; it was concise and informative. I did not enjoy his 'setting the stage' imaginative mood-setting introductions, nor his concluding moral condemnations.
I did learn some interesting things I hadn't known, one of which was that the foundational thought the Nazis used to eliminate 'lesser' races pretty much originated in the negative emphasis stressed by people in the eugenics movement in, of all places, America. Wow.
My favorite not-very-bad guy was hands down the man who forged one dollar bills. What a guy.
Things sometimes got less extreme in the Scoundrels and Rogues sections, thankfully.
Generally, I liked the reporting parts of Mr. Martin's work; it was concise and informative. I did not enjoy his 'setting the stage' imaginative mood-setting introductions, nor his concluding moral condemnations.
I did learn some interesting things I hadn't known, one of which was that the foundational thought the Nazis used to eliminate 'lesser' races pretty much originated in the negative emphasis stressed by people in the eugenics movement in, of all places, America. Wow.
My favorite not-very-bad guy was hands down the man who forged one dollar bills. What a guy.
November 4, 2014
Should have been titled "Evil, Rich White People Every Liberal Should Know". Oh, but he did put one Asian person in it and made sure you felt a bit sorry for the guy too, because, you know, racism....
In true elitist fashion, the most annoying thing about the writing in this book was the author constantly telling his audience WHY the person was bad. We obviously are too stupid to know that cheating or killing are bad things. Well, bad things when rich, white men do them. He completely left out Margaret Sanger's despicable role in the Eugenics movement...hmmm, why is that, I wonder? Also, not too much about Andrew Jackson's hatred for American Indians.
Some of the rogues seemed to be almost deserving of pity, because they were obviously suffering from mental illness before such things were easily diagnosed. Hetty Green, for one, was obviously in need of help.
This could have been a great book, it certainly was a fantastic premise, but if you can't leave your politics out of it, it just doesn't work.
In true elitist fashion, the most annoying thing about the writing in this book was the author constantly telling his audience WHY the person was bad. We obviously are too stupid to know that cheating or killing are bad things. Well, bad things when rich, white men do them. He completely left out Margaret Sanger's despicable role in the Eugenics movement...hmmm, why is that, I wonder? Also, not too much about Andrew Jackson's hatred for American Indians.
Some of the rogues seemed to be almost deserving of pity, because they were obviously suffering from mental illness before such things were easily diagnosed. Hetty Green, for one, was obviously in need of help.
This could have been a great book, it certainly was a fantastic premise, but if you can't leave your politics out of it, it just doesn't work.
August 10, 2020
This one's just fun.
Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues is a quick overview of some notorious characters in history. The book is divided into three rough categories: the rogues, your sort of hapless everyday criminal; the scoundrels, who are the asshole jerks everybody knows; and the villains, the truly evil. Martin gives a brief biographic sketch of thirty people in chronological order, ten of each.
Now, I like random collections of historical oddities such as this, but if you don't, this book is not for you. There's little to no context, and Martin often shows a bit of disconcerting naivete concerning things like deeply religious people doing deeply evil shit. He's also pretty judgmental. Still, I enjoyed myself, and perhaps if you like true crime and villains, you will too.
Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues is a quick overview of some notorious characters in history. The book is divided into three rough categories: the rogues, your sort of hapless everyday criminal; the scoundrels, who are the asshole jerks everybody knows; and the villains, the truly evil. Martin gives a brief biographic sketch of thirty people in chronological order, ten of each.
Now, I like random collections of historical oddities such as this, but if you don't, this book is not for you. There's little to no context, and Martin often shows a bit of disconcerting naivete concerning things like deeply religious people doing deeply evil shit. He's also pretty judgmental. Still, I enjoyed myself, and perhaps if you like true crime and villains, you will too.
May 16, 2014
Overall, a good concept and interesting. I really think the author did himself a disservice by placing the "villains" at the beginning instead of the end, where it would have more of an impact. Instead, he places the harder core criminals at the start of the book and lets the book kind of go out with a whimper. One other thing the author could have done differently was to avoid so many of the colloquialisms of each wrong-doer's era; it detracted from the potential of the story told and set a tone that clashed from the intent of the book- to awe the reader with seldom heard tales of morally challenged men and women.
April 19, 2016
This book contains 28 brief (ave. 8 pgs.) "true tales of mischief and mayhem." Part I: Villains..."habitual or heinous wrongdoers" such as Samuel Mason or Belle Gunness. Part II: Scoundrels..."guilty of a serious crime or significant misconduct" such as John Parker or Burt Alvord. Part III: Rogues..."committed lesser offenses, made personal mistakes...or possessed...destructive character flaw" such as Peggy Joyce or Don Lapre. Each entry begins with florid descriptions followed by a biography and tale about the individual. One problem lies in the fact that the author often appears judgmental and often preachy.
January 29, 2016
This is ridiculous. Would love to read these stories elsewhere written by someone a little less enthusiastic about breaking the fourth wall to push his own opinion.
June 17, 2017
Refreshing array of stories, united only by the fact that the protagonists were rogues of the worst ilk. Totally transported.
Unfortunately, it went straight downhill. When the author writes the subject's name over 20 times on a single page, I consider that to be poor writing. It happened again and again. ugh
Unfortunately, it went straight downhill. When the author writes the subject's name over 20 times on a single page, I consider that to be poor writing. It happened again and again. ugh
February 5, 2018
Not a real uplifting collection of people, however I learned a lot of things. I like Paul Martins writing style and each stories is an easy read. I will be interested in reading other things he has written.
March 20, 2019
This book of lesser-known (and a few well-known) ne'er-do-wells was a fun read. I spaced it out to read between my daily tasks, and the short stories are just the right length to read a couple at bedtime. Well written, I am going to read more by this author.
January 28, 2022
The sources are extensive, which I appreciate. And there is such a wide range of people in this book. I liked that if I wanted to learn more about one of the people, I had sources to go to and I could look up another book, a more complete biography (if it exists).
May 18, 2017
Enjoyable short tales of entertaining baddies and scoundrels. A nice light summer read.
October 14, 2018
Interesting read about some well-known and other forgotten bad characters. Bernie Madoff should be added in the next update.
May 26, 2020
Some of these stories are pretty good. Some are ok and some are pretty boring. It's that simple.
August 26, 2021
It's readable enough, and interesting breezy material. That said, what seems like an airy writing style gets pretty angry and judgey when you hit the chapter on gold digger Peggy Hopkins Joyce.
December 28, 2023
Honestly, this was pretty boring. These have to be the most mundane villains, scoundrels and rogues the author could find.
May 18, 2024
The stories were interesting articles on real people although I did not quite agree with the writing style and no we do not all love a villain.
April 1, 2025
This book just seemed like a list of historical crooks from Wikipedia. It's dry and not very readable.
October 2, 2016
Like in most books like this there were chapters that I really likes and others that I didn't. However, the tally sat in favor for this book. For the most part I hadn't heard of any of the people written about by Paul Martin. A few however did ring some bells: Col. John Chivington, Dean O'Banion, Ed Gein, and of course Kate and Maggie Fox. It was also kind of fun for me because a good number of these people had caused terror in the Midwest which is were I originally hail from. Which might be a little sad that it wasn't until now that I'd heard of them or their misdeeds.
One of my favorite parts of this book was Paul Martin's writing style. Mostly it was the little bits he'd add into the fact. Just sliding his feelings and opinion on parts of the person histories that would make me laugh, or the he'd word things that never let the book get dry with the facts. I never really found myself getting really bored, at least not with the writing.
The amount of research that was done for this book extensive, and you really can tell. Not only because the back of book gives you access to Paul Martin's bibliography. Just with the writing and story telling. Each chapters tells a complete story that made these people infamous. I never once felt like Martin was pulling facts out of the air. Everything flowed, felt solid, and nothing seemed just thrown together to make is more interesting or make it sound better.
I also want to thank him for the third Chapter in this book. While I doubt he sees this review, I still want to say it. My Senior year I did a project on Captain Silas Soule and his role in Sand Creek. It is a story that is dear to me, because I got to share his story with a lot of people in his home State that had never heard of him. So I was really happy to see a chapter about the reason he was murder and done so well. The last book I picked up about him was not so good. So thank you for that, Mr. Martin.
Really, the only thing I "negative" that I found was there were a couple of chapter where I wasn't really sure how they fit into the role of "Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues". Just people shoved in a bad situation due to the time period and really lack of other options. Those chapters were few and far between. So it wasn't really a huge deal. It's honestly a really nitpicking thing for me to complain about, and it didn't stop me from picking it back up.
Three big stars is what I give Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues. I enjoyed my time with it and I've totally already passed it onto a friend I think will get a kick out of it. My roommate enjoy the pieces I read out loud to her, because there were quiet a few required sharing. Either due to the shock of what these people had done. Or, just how silly it was.
Buy, Borrow, or Skip: This one is tough. Personally I say I buy, I love compilations like these. I have an entire shelf of them! That being said it's a fun read show definitely borrow if your local library has a copy.
This and other reviews and things can be found at my blog link: Bookish Whispers!
One of my favorite parts of this book was Paul Martin's writing style. Mostly it was the little bits he'd add into the fact. Just sliding his feelings and opinion on parts of the person histories that would make me laugh, or the he'd word things that never let the book get dry with the facts. I never really found myself getting really bored, at least not with the writing.
The amount of research that was done for this book extensive, and you really can tell. Not only because the back of book gives you access to Paul Martin's bibliography. Just with the writing and story telling. Each chapters tells a complete story that made these people infamous. I never once felt like Martin was pulling facts out of the air. Everything flowed, felt solid, and nothing seemed just thrown together to make is more interesting or make it sound better.
I also want to thank him for the third Chapter in this book. While I doubt he sees this review, I still want to say it. My Senior year I did a project on Captain Silas Soule and his role in Sand Creek. It is a story that is dear to me, because I got to share his story with a lot of people in his home State that had never heard of him. So I was really happy to see a chapter about the reason he was murder and done so well. The last book I picked up about him was not so good. So thank you for that, Mr. Martin.
Really, the only thing I "negative" that I found was there were a couple of chapter where I wasn't really sure how they fit into the role of "Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues". Just people shoved in a bad situation due to the time period and really lack of other options. Those chapters were few and far between. So it wasn't really a huge deal. It's honestly a really nitpicking thing for me to complain about, and it didn't stop me from picking it back up.
Three big stars is what I give Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues. I enjoyed my time with it and I've totally already passed it onto a friend I think will get a kick out of it. My roommate enjoy the pieces I read out loud to her, because there were quiet a few required sharing. Either due to the shock of what these people had done. Or, just how silly it was.
Buy, Borrow, or Skip: This one is tough. Personally I say I buy, I love compilations like these. I have an entire shelf of them! That being said it's a fun read show definitely borrow if your local library has a copy.
This and other reviews and things can be found at my blog link: Bookish Whispers!
September 6, 2020
Super judgmental author and poor nonfiction writing, combined with a fairly interesting premise and a wide variety of scoundrels etc. Tbh I did not read the whole thing. Didn’t keep my interest.
March 30, 2014
A definite hit and miss affair. Also, there's a question about the book's title. My edition is called Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem. Some of the people profiled I had not heard of. James DeWolf, Joseph Weil, Mildred Gillars, Hetty Green, and David O'Keefe were all fascinating, and the line between rogue and trailblazer is a fine one, however, the writing is terrible. Paul Martin has about the same grasp as what the word irony means as Alanis Morrisette. He erroneously likens San Francisco's Chinese gang wars to the Sharks and Jets in West Side Story when actually that plot involved Puerto Ricans versus Polish-Americans, not Chinese versus Chinese. In the chapter on Ed Gein he makes much about how it influenced the film The Silence of the Lambs, when it was actually based on a novel. Lastly, most of the chapters begin with laughably florid descriptions of the weather e.g., "Icy blasts swirled around the tiny frame house on a bleak March evening in 1848."
May 27, 2014
Paul Martin's book introduces readers to 30 Americans of dubious character. Included in this line-up are killers, cannibals, gangsters, confidence men, traitors, spies, crooked cops, witch hunters, quack doctors, gold-diggers and the world's most inept bodyguard, John Parker; just ask President Lincoln! Martin's book is an entertaining and informative look at some people you definitely don't want to spend time with...ever!
Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
July 16, 2014
The earlier review by Kristjan Wager succinctly states my main problem with the book. The author often starts a chapter from the subject's point-of-view, such as in the first profile where the slave trader Thomas De Wolfe watches ships in the harbor and contemplates business. Or when we join Ed Gein digging holes in his backyard.
Not a *bad* book, but take things like that with a grain of salt. The point that Martin is a journalist rather than a historian is a very good one.
Not a *bad* book, but take things like that with a grain of salt. The point that Martin is a journalist rather than a historian is a very good one.
September 29, 2014
A collection of stories about some of the rogues in American history.
This was definitely a collection of lesser-known historical characters. I hadn't heard of a lot of them. The quality of the stories varied. Not all of them would explain how things ended up (the story about the spiritualist sisters, for instance, mentioned that they would be dead in five years but nothing about how or why). Some were also more interesting than others. Overall, an informative read.
This was definitely a collection of lesser-known historical characters. I hadn't heard of a lot of them. The quality of the stories varied. Not all of them would explain how things ended up (the story about the spiritualist sisters, for instance, mentioned that they would be dead in five years but nothing about how or why). Some were also more interesting than others. Overall, an informative read.
July 20, 2014
Quick read with some interesting characters from history. My only complaint was the author tended to give too much of his own opinion in some of the chapters. It was as if he was passing his own additional judgement on each subject rather than just letting the reader making their own or leaving the historical facts stand. I wasn't reading the book for an extended op-ed newspaper piece.
September 9, 2014
It must take real talent to write a book with the captivating title of "Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem" and make it boring as snot to read, but Paul Martin achieves this. The most interesting paragraph was a quote from Hedley Lamarr in "Blazing Saddles". Oh wait, that was written by Mel Brooks et al...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews