Rebel Souls: Walt Whitman and America's First Bohemians

by Justin Martin

In the shadow of the Civil War, a circle of radicals in a rowdy saloon changed American society and helped set Walt Whitman on the path to poetic immortality.

Rebel Souls is the first book ever written about the colorful group of artists— regulars at Pfaff’s Saloon in Manhattan—rightly considered America’s original Bohemians. Besides a young Whitman, the circle included actor Edwin Booth; trailblazing stand–up comic Artemus Ward; psychedelic drug pioneer and author Fitz Hugh Ludlow; and brazen performer Adah Menken, famous for her Naked Lady routine. Central to their times, the artists managed to forge connections with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and even Abraham Lincoln. This vibrant tale, packed with original research, offers the pleasures of a great group biography like The Banquet Years or The Metaphysical Club. Justin Martin shows how this first bohemian culture—imported from Paris to a dingy Broadway saloon—seeded and nurtured an American tradition of rebel art that thrives to this day.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Poetry, Biography Memoir, Art, Books About Books

368 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

My latest is A Fierce Glory, out in September (Da Capo Press). It's a group biography treatment of Antietam, the Civil War's pivotal battle, still America's single bloodiest day. The rich cast includes: Robert E. Lee, pioneering war photographer Alexander Gardner, and Jonathan Letterman, the father of battlefield medicine. Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation are woven into my account far more than in a typical military history of Antietam.

My specialty is American history, meticulously researched, but delivered in a narrative style that’s akin to fiction. My previous book was Rebel Souls: Walt Whitman and America’s First Bohemians (Da Capo, 2014) about a decadent and incredibly influential artists’ circle that hung out at Pfaff’s saloon in NYC during the 1850s. Among its members: a young Walt Whitman; Artemus Ward, America’s first standup comic; psychedelic drug pioneer Fitz Hugh Ludlow; and Adah Isaacs Menken, an actress notorious for her “"Naked Lady" act. Rebel Souls, chosen as the outstanding biography of 2014 by the Victoria Society, New York, and as a finalist for the Marfield Prize, was also picked as one of the best books of that year by both the Kansas City Star and Choice magazine.

Before that, I wrote Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted (Da Capo, 2011). Genius tells the story of one of the most important figures in the history of America. Olmsted was a fervent abolitionist, noted journalist, Civil War hero, early environmentalist, and the landscape architect behind New York's Central Park, Boston's Emerald Necklace, Stanford University, the Biltmore Estate and dozens of other green spaces around the U.S.

Other subjects have included Alan Greenspan and Ralph Nader. My Greenspan bio was selected as a notable book for 2001 by the New York Times Book Review. My Nader bio was a primary source for An Unreasonable Man, an Academy Award nominated documentary. I have also written a number of children's books for use in the classroom, everything from biographies to fractured fairy tales to titles designed to help young readers learn parts of speech. I'm a generalist. I love to write on varied subjects for both kids and adults.

I'm a 1987 graduate of Rice University in Houston, TX. I live with my wife and twin sons in Forest Hills Gardens, NY, a neighborhood designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

Reviews

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a group biography of the main characters who frequented Pfaff's Saloon in Manhattan before, during, and after the Civil War. The editor Henry Clapp Jr. is credited as having brought bohemianism from France, and indeed an early story about how Puccini's opera La Boheme came into being -- had me totally enthralled. I had no idea La Boheme was based on real people and a story that happened in Paris. Anyway, Walt Whitman, in particular is covered so movingly in this biography and particularly in his Civil War years and his observations of Lincoln. Several prominent female bohemians visited Pfaffs Ada Clare, the writer, and Adah Mencken. Plus Edwin Booth's brilliant Shakespearean acting career (brother of John Wilkes Booth) is brought to life as is the life story of America's first stand up comedian Artemus Ward. And the author of _The HAshish Easter_ must not be forgotten- a young, wild, wordsmith who wrote a fabulously successful drug memoir before Timothy Leary's drug induced trips. Also, Fitz Hugh Ludlow wrote many fatastical short stories, that have almost been forgotten but for fans of E.T.A. Hoffman- here is another author for you to explore, and I see a collection of Ludlow's stories are available on Audible. This book is well written and brings to life the essence of American Bohemianism through the lives of the men and women who lived through this period of time.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Many people of course know about Greenwich Village's reputation in the 20th century as a New York hotbed for the era's underground culture and subversive arts; but did you know that this neighborhood's history of doing so actually goes back to the Victorian Age and beyond? That's the subject of Justin Martin's delightful new book, Rebel Souls; or to be more precise, much like its inspiration The Devil in the White City, this actually combines two related stories at once, not just about the formation of America's very first generation of "bohemian" artists (an archetype that wasn't even invented until the mid-1800s; before then artists were thought of much more like carpenters or furniture makers), but also about one of the most famous of those bohemians, revered poet and "America's transgressive forefather" Walt Whitman, whose life intersected with the smoky basements of Greenwich Village for just a small but hugely pivotal time in his career, between his first edition of the seminal Leaves of Grass (largely panned and that sold less than 50 copies) and the third edition (a cult hit among college students which finally started the national conversation about Whitman and his work).

Martin takes us into the Village's Pfaff's Saloon in this engaging book, to show exactly how all these elements came together for the first time -- the European refugee who brought the very idea of "Bohemianism" to New York, the good-natured bar owner who let all the artists drink on enormous tabs just because he liked having them around, the journalists who eventually established the artists' and bar's reputation, and the tiny number of openly gay men in Victorian New York, who inspired people like Whitman to come around on a regular basis in the first place. In fact, that's pretty much the biggest revelation of this whole book, is just how wild and countercultural a small section of New York City was even back in the mid-1800s, a part of history that was squelched by the Modernists who came after them and that we've now largely lost to the ages; but it allowed gay artists like Whitman to essentially go cruising in a horse-and-buggy age, and created an atmosphere where poets like him could even write about the experiences (even if in a highly codified way, through such words as "comrade" when wanting to refer to a lover, and by titling an entire chapter of romantic poems after an obscure flower whose blooms just happen to look like erect penises).

It's fascinating to see how some of the brightest lights of that circle went on to become nationally famous (Artemus Ward was one of the biggest hits of his times, for example, and eventually brought the bohemian aesthetic to the west coast and the attention of a young Mark Twain), while others who were initially much more famous just literally disappeared from the national consciousness within a few years after their deaths; and it's also fascinating to see just how quickly that entire scene fell apart with the outbreak of the Civil War, in which the artists of Pfaff's dispersed to all kinds of far-flung locations and new activities, emerging on the other side to a national audience that no longer wanted the dark comedy and transgressive musings that the bohemians got famous for dishing out. Written at a brisk pace and with clean, plain language, this is an "NPR-worthy" nonfiction book if ever there was one, a strong recommendation to anyone who wants to know more about Whitman, Greenwich Village, the arts, Victoriana, or simply about the small hidden parts of American history that have been deliberately suppressed by the conservatives who are usually in charge of writing the history books.

Out of 10: 9.5

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful look at a loose group of writers, artists, poets, publishers and actors who frequented Pfaf’s Saloon in Manhattan during the 1850s and 60s and were broadly known as the first American Bohemians. They were sort of the artist, hippie, counterculture of the day - way ahead of their time in many ways - bright, brief flames that became overshadowed by the Civil War and/or extinguished by alcohol, illness or just hard living. Walt Whitman was among them and his more lasting story is the main thread weaving through the book.

What makes the book special are all of the rich details about American culture at the time, taking the reader from New York to Washington, DC, to Boston and across the continent to the West. And encounters with figures such as Edwin Booth (brother to John Wilkes), Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, etc., add to the allure. This is a well-written history about a fascinating time and place and is also fun to read. I couldn’t ask for more.

PS: I’m a huge Whitman geek as well as being totally obsessed with Van Gogh. Imagine my delight in reading here that Van Gogh was influenced by Whitman and painted Starry Night after reading Leaves of Grass. I hadn’t read this before - made my day!!

[Ryan Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebel Souls is a vivid portrait of a ragtag crowd of poets, actors, and other artists who gathered in a dimly lit vaulted room beneath Broadway sipping lager, trading witticisms, and (often frustratedly) looking to shape their own destinies through self-expression. The saloon was Pfaff's, and one of these bohemians was, of course, the Good Gray Poet himself: Walt Whitman. The book follows the lives and adventures of many of those bohemians who frequented Pfaff's, making it a deeply engaging and engrossing read. I felt as if I had spent many a smoky night in Pfaff's myself.

All of this is multiplied by my own context as a reader. This book was a gift from a dear friend of mine–one with whom I have recounted embellished tales, traded witticisms, and recited the words of I Sing the Body Electric. I saw myself in the peaks and valleys of Pfaff's (in particular, Pfaffian Thomas Aldrich's words rang true for moments of my life: "We were all very merry at Pfaff's...Did you think...that my heart, as I passed the Rhine wine to the boys, was as black as the midnight and bitter as gall?")

While reading this, I reflected on my own personal Pfaff's, and on my own personal Pfaffians. Reminiscing from the peaks to the valleys and back up again, I couldn't help but think of Whitman's words in The Sleepers (which my friend inscribed inside the cover): "Onward we move, a gay gang of blackguards! with mirth-shouting music and wild-flapping pennants of joy!"

[Laura Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from First Reads.
Bohemian life, almost a precursor to the hippie, was at its prime during the Victorian era. It was especially established in NY City in 1858 to 1862 in the underground saloon, Pfaffs. The saloon was a place to gather to smoke, drink and discuss. It's leader, so to speak, was Henry Clapp, who found his bohemian bliss in Paris of the 1840s, in the salons. When he returned to the US he wanted to establish something of the same. Today, the bohemian life is the counter culture. Pfaffs members included writers, poets, artists and stage actors. The most well known member was Walt Whitman. It was during this time he first published Leaves of Grass. Pfaffs members even included women!
Granted, I did not recognize many of the members. Some are very obscure and died early in their careers. But the author brought them to life and I was able to appreciate their talents. They were interesting men and women, much of their histories very sad. The book is well written and informative. It is a history but does not read as such. Very enjoyable. Each member was a discovery for me. Would recommend this book.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, very engaging collection of stories of Walt Whitman and his friends--mostly related to Pfaff's Manhattan saloon. A valuable anecdotal resource for anyone interested in the US Bohemians of the mid-19th century.

[Declan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly everything gets 3-stars with me.

This book worked for me because I was looking for a Whitman biography and this was the closest I could get.

It turned out to be a fascinating picture of the era with all the weird connections between people.

Pfaff’s bar in Manhattan, was a weird nexus and the misfits who hung out there influenced American literature, theater, and culture in general for years to come, even though they were a part of a minor subculture at the time.

The book is full of details that draw out the strange interconnected lives of minor historical figures.

Did you know that the statue of Shakespeare in Central Park (http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-...), was partly funded by a charity performance of Julius Caesar, that featured the brothers Edwin Booth, John Wilkes Booth, and Junius Booth. The performance was briefly interrupted by a fire in the hotel next door. It turned out that the fire was one of a string of arson attempts by confederate infiltrators who were trying to set New York City ablaze and overwhelm the fire department.

Did you know that John Wilkes Booth was a regular performer at Ford’s Theater, and received his mail there?

Or that Whitman was living in DC during the end of the Civil War, saw Lincoln on the street frequently, and even on the day of his second inaugural. Although Whitman left town for Brooklyn shortly after and received the news of both the Southern surrender and the death of Lincoln via church bells and newspapers, his boyfriend, Peter Doyle, was in Ford’s theater when Lincoln was assassinated, and witnessed the gunpowder smoke billowing from Lincoln’s box and Booth leaping to the stage.

And these are just minor details casually referenced.

This is how I like my history.

[Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, with interesting insights into a previously unexplored period of New York history. I am not so sure that even after reading this book that I would call the people at Pfaff's a "group" in the same sense as the Concord writers or the Algonquin round table. They. Walt Whitman, Artemis Ward, and Ada Mencken went to the same bar, with other lesser lights, they encountered people as diverse as Lincoln, Mark Twain and Alexander Dumas. Whitman was perhaps the only first class writer to emerge and he had the good sense to go home and write. I think Ward's life could have been explored more, being as he managed to influence both Lincoln and Twain (he lifted Lincoln's spirits and he undoubtedly influenced the development of Twain's public personae). Some of the other habitués of Pfaff's come across as tragic, if not blind (there is a case where one should have realized his wife was having an affair with Alfred Bierstadt). The writing can be a little earnest, but I enjoyed this tale of the rise of "Bohemianism" and its influence on the mid 19th century cultural scene.

[Kate Buford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Martin's biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, so I looked forward very much to this book for another fascinating look at an important piece of 19th century American history and culture. And, I got it to my heart's content. Though the story is weighted toward Walt Whitman, as the most famous of the Manhattan Bohemians for our time, it is really an ambitious, multi-subject biography of a remarkable group of artists, written with a light, accessible style that suits the subject. Martin takes us right into the vibrant, iconoclastic world of these first American Bohemians -- what they ate, drank, loved, wrote about, and otherwise consumed in their intense, often very short, lives. Threading through all the parallel tales is the giant figure of Whitman himself. Martin gives us an unforgettable portrait that will linger in readers' minds and hearts for a long time to come.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bohemianism started long before the era we normally associate with it, and this meticulously researched and detailed study takes us back to the very first Bohemians in America, who congregated in Pfaff’s saloon in New York. Walt Whitman is probably the most famous of these early Bohemians and much of the book concentrates on him. But there are plenty of other interesting characters who gathered there, some famous, some not, but all of whom lived interesting lives, and reading about them is consistently fascinating. The author offers us a compelling account of 19th century America’s cultural life in an accessible and lively style, and I was gripped all the way through. Highly recommended.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people thing of Whitman from those photos of him as an old man. Well, we were all young, once. This piece tracks the early literary influences on the poet, in the heart of NYC's bohemian district in the 1800s. Pfaff’s Saloon in Manhattan was the meeting place for Whitman, Edwin Booth, brother of John-Wilkes and Fitz-Hugh Ludlow and more leftist writers. They were friends and the beatniks of the 19th Century. From here came Whitman's flowering epic "Leaves of Grass." Thanks to the author's exact research, the reader can almost taste the smoky, beer-laden, liberal atmosphere of the NYC pub during this time.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book. Since it's a group biography, Martin jumps around from person to person and leaves out the boring parts. So we get the most interesting stories from this group of exuberant and tragic artists who gathered at Pfaff's saloon before the Civil War, and then some drop-in appearances (in the book, not necessarily in Pfaff's) from Frederick Douglass, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, and many others. The Bohemians of Pfaff's mostly survive the Civil War (they are not the soldiering types), but many die tragically young. They burned bright, but not for long.

Some of the best stories:

All the ones about the OG melancholy funny man Charlie Brown, aka Artemus Ward, possibly the first-ever stand-up comedian. Brown started out strong as a kid, with a mock-scholarly paper sent off to the newly founded Smithsonian titled "Is Cats to Be Trusted?" You get a sense that Ward would know exactly what to do with the internet.

All the ones about Adah Isaacs Menken. Mazeppa, the goofiest-sounding play that was a roaring success with the Victorians, had a barn-stormer of a middle act, where the famous beauty - in nothing but nude illusion wear - was strapped to the back of a real horse. Menken has a lot of great moments, but her photo with Alexander Dumas (then 30 years her senior) getting turned into early porn memes because they look a little bed-rumpled....apparently humans haven't changed that much in 150 years. BTW, she was the template for Conan Doyle's Irene Adler. And Charles Dickens said of her: "She is a sensitive poet who, unfortunately, cannot write." Queen.

I must have had something in my eye at all the stories of Walt Whitman visiting wounded Civil War soldiers, simply to sit with them and try to meet what needs he could. Martin quotes Whitman: “I do not see that I do much good to these wounded and dying, but I cannot leave them.” And later on, Whitman and Peter Doyle, blissfully sharing a watermelon together.

Abraham Lincoln telling his cabinet “With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do," and then reading them a few funny paragraphs from Artemus Ward, all the while laughing as he read. Then he read them the Emancipation Proclamation. (Chills.)

Every damn thing Ada Clare wrote, particularly her satirical piece “The Man’s Sphere of Influence” where she imagines gender roles are reversed: “We do not want man to be too highly educated; we want him sweet, gentle, and incontestably stupid.” She said elsewhere: "Few women are strong enough to choose between truth and the world’s good opinion.” She was one of the few.

The retelling of one epic boys' night out where Ward and Mark Twain go bar-hopping until sunrise (at that point Ward was a big deal and Twain was a complete unknown), ending their spree in a way that Martin describes so beautifully, you wish you could have been there to see it, and halfway feel you had: "As dawn broke over the Sierra Nevada, the pair just keep leaping, Ward and Twain, roof to roof."

And so many more.


Good quotes:

"History is not a meritocracy."

"At best, phrenology can be seen as the crazy granddad of modern neuropsychology."

"A few months into his hospital service, Whitman bought a cheap wine-colored suit. He wore it every day, the trousers tucked into heavy leather boots. He hadn’t shaved since leaving Brooklyn. The total effect—reddish suit, bushy beard, the haversack—was like a Bohemian Santa Claus."

"The final years of [Henry] Clapp’s life are visible only in brief flashes, like a man falling down a mine shaft. In the flickering half-light, it’s possible to get intermittent glimpses as he tumbles and flails and vainly reaches out his hands."

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin has written a group biography, with the lead character, Walt Whitman. The heart of the book concerns the years 1858-62 in Manhattan and the below-the-street tavern called Pfaff's where the group would sit at a long table. The artists, writers, actors, journalists, and comedians (yes, America's first stand-up comic, Artemus Ward) would meet to support each other and maybe drink.

In the narration of these stories that Martin tells--and I found myself reading the chapters one after the other because they were all so fascinating--Martin narrates them with respect, humanity, and grace. Why? In the chapters are suicide attempts, bankruptcies, infidelities, drunkenness, and death at a young age. Here is what I mean:

Whitman's poems, his self-publishing with low sales, his negative reviews, his commitment to be a "soldier's missionary" (Whitman's term) to wounded soldiers with no or little chance to survive--today we would call it hospice work but he just did it on his own. Adah Menken, an exotic actress who became an international sensation (dead at 33). Edwin Booth, brother of the assassin, who became America's most celebrated actor of the century, desperately trying to stay sober from alcohol (dead at 60). Fitz Hugh Ludlow, the early experimenter with psychedelic drugs (he wrote the Hashish Eater) and whose wife left him to marry Albert Bierstadt, the famous American landscape artist (dead at 34). Artemus Ward, a year older than Mark Twain, the two of them getting drunk and jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Virginia City before the sun rise (Ward, dead at 32). Abraham Lincoln, who had read the first chapter of Ward's humorous book, A Babe in the Woods, to his assembled Cabinet before letting them know he had written the Emancipation Proclamation because we all need humor.

Most of all, I left the book with a profound respect for Whitman and his poetry. We should all do well to be so inspired.

[Steve Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb book on history of American bohemian culture in the mid-19th century. It centers on the world of Walt Whitman and the denizens of Pfaff’s restaurant in New York City, where Henry Clapp Junior, nurtured the beginning and growth of an American version of that European cultural movement known as bohemianism.

We don’t learn just about Walt Whitman, however. We read about half a dozen other American artistic and literary pioneers, who were larger than life.

This is one of those great books that introduces a somewhat unknown chunk of American history to the reading public. It is informative, well written, and entertaining. It’s one of those books that I would read twice, if I had the time.

[John Bialas · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a run of enjoyable parodies of bohemian life a few years back, I welcomed the opportunity for the serious change of pace Justin Martin provides in "Rebel Souls."

The quarantine and my retirement gave me ample time to read "Rebels Souls," and though Walt Whitman's name is in the subtitle, Henry Clapp captured my interest because I knew nothing about the man before reading the ARC I received through NetGalley.

When I read, I learn. Pretty profound.

I highly recommend this tremendous book and I hope someday to find a physical copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Da Capo Press for the ebook.

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book, but reading about self-destructive creatives, most of whom died young and sadly, is always a bit rough (and recurs generation after generation, whether writers, artists, jazz musicians, rockstars, etc.) I suppose I would have liked more of a sense of what the heyday of Pfaff's was really like, as an experience. But I was happy to learn more about Adah Menken and Artemus Ward and Ada Clare, all people I'd heard of before. And Whitman always shines, even if he was somewhat marginal to this group.

[Frank De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, fascinating, highly readable and well researched history of America's first Bohemians – a group that was born in a beer cellar in Manhattan in mid-19th century only to be dispersed by the Civil War.

Of that original group of Bohemians, Walt Whitman is the dominant figure.

People who today are described or describe themselves as "counter cultural" or practicing alternative lifestyles are direct descendants of those first Bohemians described in this book.

[Mike Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaves of Grass is maybe the penultimate portrait of 19 Century America but as poetry it leaves out a lot of facts about Whitman and his era. This book fills in facts about Whitman and so many more of the colorful characters that made up was called the first “Bohemians,” and their home base, an underground bar on Broadway just north of Bleeker called Pfaff’s. Absolutely fascinating characters. Would make for a sprawling, multi part tv series.

[Steve Comstock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing account of the pre Civil War proto-hippies. At a bar called Pfaffs in Manhattan a group of artists, freethinkers, and generally counter cultural types established a presence. This group included Walt Whitman and the Booth brothers (one of whom would eventually assassinate Lincoln). Martin writes with skill and good pacing about this little documented era. Remarkably eye opening.

[Tricia Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had never heard of the birth of Bohemia at Pfaff's saloon in Manhattan. Thoroughly enjoyed this journey through the past, including the Civil war. Martin made it all come alive for me. Spent a lot of time thinking about our striving to succeed and how empty and shallow success can be when we achieve it. A good read.

[Rob Branigin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and highly readable overview of New York's pre-Civil War Bohemian underground, how it centered around Pfaff's Saloon, and how it intersected with the career path of one of America's great poets. Highly recommended for those interested in literary history, and the history of America's underground culture. Good stuff.

[Philomena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing tale of an almost forgotten literary salon/gaggle of bar flies! As a long time fan of Whitman's poetry, there was just enough of a focus on him to keep me hooked, and loads of
fascinating information about the characters which made up his friend group! It really gave me a new appreciation for the culture of Civil War America!

[Eva Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, but with a book that includes Paris, old NYC, history, poetry, an underground cafe, bohemians, writers, actors, artists and their stories -- and Walt Whitman (!), what's not to love.

[Primordial Offering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to get chatty at Pfaff's!

[Noah Letner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating telling of a forgotten group of people, except Walt of course.
Great writing, great history. This was the USA.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just meh, by page 126 Walt still hadn’t appeared and I hate to tell my friend who recommended it with such passion, it didn’t work for me either as history or as a personal profile.

[Phillip Fitzsimmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice history describing Walt Whitman as a Bohemian. The thing I didn't like about it is that it seems like the author was trying to turn it into a morality tale.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were super interesting, others I didn't really care about and found myself skimming.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must be ignorant because this book bored me and I don’t understand the fuss.

[Gerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kind of history.