Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire & The Mystery of Little Miss 1565 by Don Massey, Rick Davey ISBN: 1-930601-24-7 Publisher: Willow Brook Press Pub. Date: 24 September, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Fascinating, but...
Comment: I hope no one was paid to EDIT this book (I can't believe anyone did.) Facts mentioned in passing in the first half, are "astonishing" when discovered by investigator Davey in the second half. And author Massey is WAY too attached to the word "ironically" (and he bats around .500 when it comes to applying it correctly.) But I'm glad I read it, as I've been interested in the story since seeing a reproduction of a newspaper front page showing Emmett Kelly helping to fight the fire.
I wonder if another book will someday deal with another "lost victim" who's mentioned briefly... the one supposedly carried into a hospital by his uncle... (I think I'll go get "The Circus Fire" for now.)
Rating: 1
Summary: REVISIONIST HISTORY OF THE WORST KIND
Comment: This book is poorly written, yet the subject is fascinating. The love Rick Davey has for himself often brings the narrative to an abrupt halt. But the worst part is that Mr. Davey is so intent on finding a solution to the mystery of Little Miss 1565 and proving himself to be a wonderful investigator that he twists the facts to make them fit his theory. I didn't discover this until I read another book on the Hartford Fire. Mr. Davey pronounces the identity of the the mysterious little girl. What he doesn't mention is that dental records disprove his identification. This really is revisionist history of the worst kind because a family was caused to suffer to assauge Mr. Davey's ego. If you are interested in this story, I recommend reading The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan. It is better investigated, written and much more comprehensive. It also has the merits of being much more factual than this book.
Rating: 3
Summary: excellent investigation of cause of fire
Comment: The inclusion of Davey's personal history was unnecessary & stopped the momentum of the book. I liked O'Nan's book about the circus fire better...he told a more complete story of the fire and the victims. However, A Matter of Degree provided an excellent account of the fire, the investigation in 1944, and Davey's investigation decades later. Davey's arguments about Segee's guilt were convincing.
The original investigation was flawed, and the City of Hartford's/State of Connecticut's efforts to impede Davey's efforts (calls to FBI) to protect the city from liability are shocking. Hopefully victims & survivors are taking advantage of this book to hold the city accountable.
Davey appears to believe that his proving arson relieves the circus from any responsibility and that the 5 employees should not have served prison terms. Yes, arson caused the fire, and yes, the city of Hartford should also have been held responsible. However, the circus was also to blame (waterproofing the tent with highly flammable parrifin & gas), reducing their insurance, not having hoses that fit hydrants, etc. Serving less than a year in prison is no where close to what the victims & survivors suffered. Davey doesn't address the circus's testimonial that they had attempted to find other ways of waterproofing their tents. O'Nan provides in this book proof that other ways of waterproofing (non-flammable) were in existence at the time, used by other circuses, and war efforts did not prevent material availability.
 |
Title: The Circus Fire : A True Story of an American Tragedy by Stewart O'Nan ISBN: 0385496850 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 12 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
