Sandweiss is a historian and professor of history at princeton, with a focus on public history and the american west. Aug 18, 2010 clarence king was a geologist, a bestselling author and a liar. These are the words used by the author to describe the setting of her 2009 book, passing strange. Discover more authors youll love listening to on audible.
A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line by martha a. Sandweiss i wrote before how i stumbled across the strange story of clarence king 18421901, the first director of the us geological survey who for the last years of his life, led a secret double life as a black man in order to marry a former slave ada copeland 18601964. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line 2009, and print the legend. Mar 08, 2009 passing strange meticulously sometimes too meticulously.
A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line kindle edition by sandweiss, martha a download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Photography and the american west 2002, winner of the organization of american historians ray allen billington award for the best book in american frontier history and the william p. Passing strange tells an astounding true story that would beggar most novelists imaginations. Passing strange new hampshire state library overdrive.
A picture of clarence king is well worth a thousand words. A remarkable feat of research and reporting spanning the civil war to the civil rights era, passing strange tells a uniquely american story of selfinvention, love, deception, and. A truly extraordinary story about an extraordinary man and an extraordinary couple, passing strange illuminates, as no other recent book has done, the vexed intersection of race, class, identity, and ambition in americas gilded age. Hiding in plain sight miscegenation is the hope of the white race. Passing strange and millions of other books are available for instant access. Historian martha sandweiss is the first writer to uncover the life that king tried so hard to conceal. Sandweiss i wrote before how i stumbled across the strange story of clarence king 18421901, the first director of the us geological survey who for the last years of his life, led a secret double life as a black man in order to marry a. Sandweiss is the author or editor of numerous books on american history and photography. She reveals the complexity of a man who, while publicly espousing a personal dream of a uniquely american amalgam of white and black, hid his love for his wife and their five biracial children. Passing strange a gilded age tale of love and deception. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color lineby professor of american studies and history martha a. Sandweisss posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of the man who mapped the american west, and.
But as martha sandweiss shows in passing strange, king led a double life, passing as a black man in order to marry ada copeland, who was very likely born a slave and who was as far outside kings social and intellectual circle as a woman could possibly be. Sandweiss, a professor of history at princeton, says it represents the possibilities and limitations of selffashioning, the simultaneous rigidity and porousness of racial definitions, the fluidity of urban life. Sandweiss penguin press, feb 05, 2009 african american literature book club celebrating our literary legacy since 1997 black literature is for everyone african american literature book club. Feb 09, 2009 passing strange a gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line by martha a. A historian examines the secret king only revealed on his deathbed to his black wife of thirteen years.
Her book takes place in the usa during the second half of the 1800s and especially the 1890s. Finalist, 2009 national book critics circle award and named one of top ten books of 2009, by janet maslin, new york times passing strange a gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line penguin press, 2009. Passing strange is one of those books with precisely the right title. Sandweisss posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of. Sandweisss posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of the man who mapped the american west, and the woman he loved clarence king was a late. These words were uttered in 1885 by clarence king, a.
It is indeed a story about passing, in every sense of the term, and historian martha sandweiss tells it with a scholars rigor and a storytellers verve. But as martha sandweiss shows in passing strange, king led a double life, passing as a black man in. Sandweiss is a historian of the united states, with particular interests in the history of the american west, visual culture, and public history. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line presents one mans story in an effort to crystallize the state of u. Passing strange meticulously sometimes too meticulously. Martha sandweiss recounts the life of 19th century geologist and surveyor of the american west, clarence king who lived a doublelife as a black pullman porter and steelworker, james todd in order. Feb 05, 2009 in passing strange, noted historian martha a. Sandweisss bestselling audiobooks and newest titles. Feb 05, 2009 passing strange tells an astounding true story that would beggar most novelists imaginations. Finalist, 2009 national book critics circle award and named one of top ten books of 2009, by janet maslin, new york times passing strange a gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line penguin press, 2009 paperback edition released january, 2010.
Pdf passing strange download full pdf book download. Passing strange martha epub download ebook pdf, epub. Sandweisss posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of the man who mapped the american west, and the woman he loved clarence king was a late nineteenthcentury celebrity, a brilliant scientist and. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line martha a.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading passing strange. Passing strange penguin clarence king was a famed explorer, scientist, and hero of late nineteenth century history. It also demonstrates how to write a particular kind of history how, that is, to reconstruct lives in the absence of historical records. Sandweiss s posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of the man who mapped the american west, and. Like these, clarence king s is a peculiarly american story. Discover book depositorys huge selection of martha a sandweiss books online. Clarence king was a geologist, a bestselling author and a liar. National book critics circle award biography winners and finalists 20002019. Sandweiss is a professor for the history department. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line by sandweiss, martha a. A remarkable feat of research and reporting spanning the civil war to the civil rights era, passing strange tells a uniquely american story of selfinvention, love, deception, and race. Sandweiss s posts on the penguin blog the secret double life of the man who mapped the american west, and the woman he loved clarence king was a late nineteenthcentury celebrity, a brilliant scientist and.
King created an alternate identity as james todd, pullman porter, and hid a thirteenyear marriage from his family, friends, and the world, a marriage that would produce five children and last until kings death in 1901. Passing strange tells an astounding true story that would beggar most. Martha sandweiss talked about her book passing strange. I quote the words because they apply so well to our current social and political situation.
Sandweiss tells the uniquely american story of clarence king, a man who hid from his gilded age cohorts and prominent family the fact that he lived a double lifeas the celebrated white explorer, geologist, and writer king and as a black pullman porter and steelworker named james todd. The secret was hidden in plain sight until martha a. It exposes the bizarre secret life of a wellknown historical figure, but that secret is its. Mar 23, 2009 martha sandweiss recounts the life of 19th century geologist and surveyor of the american west, clarence king who lived a doublelife as a black pullman porter and steelworker, james todd in order. Passing strange is not only a lesson in the intricacies of class, race, and gender relations. Sandweiss read in passing that clarence king a caucasian male famous in the 19th century as a surveyor of the vast frontier and a bestselling author about. Sandweiss 2009, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Passing strange martha epub download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line penguin press. Sandweiss tells the dramatic, distinctively american tale of a family built along the fault lines of celebrity, class, and race a story that spans the long century from civil war to civil rights. A gilded age tale of love and deception across the color line. Sandweiss serves on the governing boards of the organization of american historians and the american antiquarian society, and consults. King created an alternate identity as james todd, pullman porter, and hid a thirteenyear. He lived an elaborate double life, and his story told by martha sandweiss in her book, passing strange.
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