A01=Brian Stannard
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
alcatraz
American western
American western history
American western novels
American westerns
Author_Brian Stannard
automatic-update
california
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=BTC
Category=DNXC
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
famous crimes
Language_English
old west
old west law
old west mysteries
old west romance
outlaws
PA=Available
Price_€20 to €50
prisons
PS=Active
sheriffs
softlaunch
train robberies
train robbery
true crime
true crime stories
war novels
Western
Western books
Western mysteries
Western romance
Western stories
Product details
- ISBN 9781510778245
- Weight: 433g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 11 Apr 2024
- Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
The Incredible True Story of the Most Hunted Man in Pacific Coast History––and the Woman He Loved
Before the 1920s found their roar, a charismatic gambling addict named Roy Gardner dominated news headlines with daring train robberies and escapes from incarceration. Nicknamed "the Smiling Bandit," Gardner spilled no blood––except his own––as he cut a felonious path across the western United States, as the country hobbled through a recession in the aftermath of the First World War.
Once imprisoned for the long term in federal prisons, including Alcatraz, the most notorious prison's second-most-notorious inmate won over some unlikely champions. Both Gardner's wife, Dollie, and a police officer who once arrested him launched extensive campaigns for Gardner's release on the vaudeville circuit, claiming a brain operation would cure his lawless ways. Was Gardner a good man who made bad decisions as the victim of injury and circumstance? Or was his charming personality merely the poker face of a scoundrel?
Richly researched, drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, Alcatraz Ghost Story explores the life of Roy Gardner in the context of his great love story and the larger backdrop of drug addiction, incarceration, and the racial and labour violence of the 1920s and 1930s.
Before the 1920s found their roar, a charismatic gambling addict named Roy Gardner dominated news headlines with daring train robberies and escapes from incarceration. Nicknamed "the Smiling Bandit," Gardner spilled no blood––except his own––as he cut a felonious path across the western United States, as the country hobbled through a recession in the aftermath of the First World War.
Once imprisoned for the long term in federal prisons, including Alcatraz, the most notorious prison's second-most-notorious inmate won over some unlikely champions. Both Gardner's wife, Dollie, and a police officer who once arrested him launched extensive campaigns for Gardner's release on the vaudeville circuit, claiming a brain operation would cure his lawless ways. Was Gardner a good man who made bad decisions as the victim of injury and circumstance? Or was his charming personality merely the poker face of a scoundrel?
Richly researched, drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, Alcatraz Ghost Story explores the life of Roy Gardner in the context of his great love story and the larger backdrop of drug addiction, incarceration, and the racial and labour violence of the 1920s and 1930s.
Brian Stannard is a guide with Alcatraz Cellhouse Tours. Previously he delivered meals in San Francisco’s Tenderloin with Project Open Hand. When experiencing writer’s block, he paints, and his artwork is displayed in bars from the Mission District to Australia’s Gold Coast. He also illustrated the book You Don’t Know Jack. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.
