Fortune's Fool

Terry Alford's Fortune's Fool is a stunning achievement--it more than fills this decades-old lacuna Fortune's Fool is highly recommended to all audiences with an interest in Lincoln, the Civil War era, or biography in general It is difficult to imagine this not being the definitive biography of John Wilkes Booth for decades to come. --The North Carolina Historical Review As Alford's excellent book makes clear, Booth was a celebrity in his own right, and his high profile heightened the drama of the deed: imagine if Elvis Presley had assassinated President John F. Kennedy. --Foreign Affairs Fortune's Fool is so deeply researched and persuasively argued that it should stand as the standard portrait for years...Readers will know how this story ended, but Mr. Alford's recounting of Booth's flight and the Army's manhunt is a tour de force of sustained drama, never losing its breakneck pace and offering startling revelations. --Harold Holzer, The Wall Street Journal A vivid, gripping portrait of the charming, impetuous, and troubled Booth, whose ill-fated and ultimately murderous path often seems to strangely echo the doomed Shakespearean characters he played on stage. --Library Journal The 'first full-length biography' of Abraham Lincoln's assassin offers much nuance and complexity to the killer...Alford sifts through the more balanced, credible sources of those who knew Booth before the assassination to flesh out a surprisingly engaging portrait of the brilliant young actor and deeply riven sympathizer to the Southern cause...Alford paints some intriguing shades of gray in this elucidating portrait. --Kirkus Reviews Exemplary...Alford's book examines Booth's movements and interactions in greater depth than any of its predecessors, drawing a clear picture of the psychological spiral that led to his plot to kidnap--and, when that failed, to kill--the president. --The Boston Globe Based on meticulous and exhaustive research, written in vivid prose spiced with wry humor, Terry Alford's Fortune's Fool is a tour de force by a masterful historian. This eagerly awaited biography exceeds the high expectations so long entertained by Civil War buffs, Lincolnians, and lovers of American history in general. --Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life Alford's masterful biography charts the psychological space in which Booth seems to have zigzagged for most of his life, between artistic sensitivity and delusional self-inflation. --Peter Birkenhead, Los Angeles Review of Books Fortune's Fool is a better, more comprehensive, and more consistently fascinating attempt at explaining John Wilkes Booth than any yet written. --Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly Fortune's Fool takes its place as the essential Booth biography, which is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to fully understand the assassination and the actor who committed it. --Thomas R. Turner, Civil War Monitor The first full-length biography on the subject, Alford's work definitely measures up in quality. His appraisal of Booth is neither judgmental nor quixotic, while his portrayal of him is rich in intimate details that add dimension to the man long known simply as a crazed killer. --Michael G. Williams, America's Civil War Magazine