The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns by Rebecca Gowers

£9.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781474606431
Published:
12 Nov 2020
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
320 pages
Dimensions:
196x128x28mm
Weight:
0.283kgs
Author:
For years, Major Harry Larkyns has been known to history only as a swindler and seducer in 1870s California, famous more than anything for his death at the hands of the magnificently strange and brilliant photographer Eadweard Muybridge, one of the inventors of moving pictures. To all intents and purposes, Muybridge murdered Larkyns in cold blood, and yet he walked free on grounds of 'justifiable homicide'. How was this possible? Surely it had something to do with Harry's own story? Although he has largely been dismissed as an imposter and a rogue, Rebecca Gowers discovers that Larkyn's extremely tall tales were (mostly) true and that he was hiding plenty more. Part biography, part detective story, this book ranges across the globe from Larkin's days as a cadet in India, his louche life in 1870s Paris, and his days as a swindler and seducer in the Wild West of America.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN

Diamond thief, guerrilla fighter, spy, decorated hero, bohemian rogue and lover of several notorious women - all describe Major Harry Larkyns. Yet he has long been dismissed as merely a liar and a cheat, famous only for being shot dead in 1874 by the unnerving photographer Eadweard Muybridge. But has history properly understood either the killer or his victim? Part biography, part crime investigation, THE SCOUNDREL HARRY LARKYNS uncovers some extraordinary truths, and is historical detective work at its finest.

'One of the best books of the year' Irish Times
'Strange, brilliant, quirky and illuminating' Country Life
'A story that is as eventful as it is tragic' Guardian
'A masterpiece of historical detective work' Keith Lowe

About the Author: Rebecca Gowers is the author of The Swamp of Death, a narrative analysis of a striking 1890 murder case, shortlisted for the CWA non-fiction Gold Dagger award; and of two novels, When to Walk and The Twisted Heart, both longlisted for the Orange Prize. In 2014, she became the fourth editor of Plain Words, classic guide to the use of English by her great-grandfather, Sir Ernest Gowers; and she followed this with her own, anti-establishment guide to the misuse of English, Horrible Words. The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns takes her back to her fascination with nineteenth-century literature, history and crime, and is both a non-standard biography, and a radically new exploration of a seminal murder.

More Information
Number of pages 320

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