The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New ... Cover Art

The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age (Hardcover)

By: Gary M. Pomerantz (Author)


List Price: $26.00
Tower Price: $19.04
You Save: $6.96 (27%)
Add to BagAdd to Bag Click to go directly to the checkout.
This item qualifies for FREE Shop N' Save Shipping for orders over $25. Check individual shipping price. *Some Restrictions Apply.
Availability: Ships within 3 to 5 weeks
Share This:
Add To KaboodleAdd To Kaboodle  Submit To Digg!Submit To Digg!  Share On FacebookShare On Facebook  Add to FavoritesAdd to Favorites  TwitterTwitter 

Product Description



Run a Quick Search on "The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age" by Gary M. Pomerantz to Browse Related Products:

Browse more products related to "The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age"

Browse more products related to "Gary M. Pomerantz"


Review

"[A] deliciously detailed and splendidly written account of the emergence of bridge as America's No. 1 pastime....Illuminating a crime and card game of passion, and the gentle gender-bending of the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression, Pomerantz weaves a compelling read even for people who don't know the difference between a trick and a trump."

Publisher's note

Tells the true story of Myrtle Bennett who murdered her philandering husband over a game of bridge in 1929, and the dramatic courtroom trial that made Ely Culbertson, who provided color commentary of the proceedings, a card game celebrity.

Annotation

In 1929, a Kansas City housewife named Myrtle Bennett shot and killed her husband Jack after he had slapped her. The source of their dispute? A game of bridge. Gary Pomerantz uses this intriguing incident as a starting point for his wonderful examination of bridge culture in the 1920s and '30s, focusing primarily on a publicity hound and bridge wizard named Ely Culbertson, who rose to stardom in the aftermath of the Bennett murder. While American men and women disputed the surprising acquittal of Myrtle Bennett, Culbertson ingeniously promoted bridge as the ideal level playing field for the battle of the sexes, and helped generate a huge spike in the game's popularity. Pomerantz packs his pages with all the best elements of thrilling nonfiction--a controversial crime, interesting and eccentric characters, fascinating historical insight, and a specific singular event that encapsulates a larger moment in time.

As the Roaring Twenties' last celebratory peals rang through a nation about to slip into the Depression, Myrtle Bennett, a glamorous Kansas City housewife, killed her philandering husband over a bridge game. At her ballyhooed murder trial, her defense attorney was a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and Pendergast Machine-man, James A. Reed. Merely the most famous man in Kansas City, Reed, a riveting orator, represented the likes of Henry Ford and oil companies. For Myrtle, he put on a dramatic courtroom show of logic, eloquence, and a few tears. Watching from New York was Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent and a gorgeous American wife, Josephine, who was his bridge partner. As the P.T. Barnum of the game of bridge, Ely Culbertson offered trial commentary and used the Bennetts' story to sell bridge, his instructional books, and himself. Housewives adored him and rushed to hear his lectures. A few months after the 1931 trial, when the Culbertsons won the Bridge Battle of the Century at the Waldorf-Astoria amid the glitter of New York's high society and Hollywood newsreels, they became millionaire icons.
Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, "The Devil's Tickets "evokes the last echoes of the Gay '20s and the darkness of the Depression. Ultimately it reveals a tension between husbands and wives that is eternal and that manifests itself at the bridge table--both then and now--in ways surprising and profound.



Customer Reviews for "The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age (Hardcover)" by Gary M. Pomerantz (Author)

There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!

Submit your Review




Explore More Great Tower Sales & Specials



Tower.com BOOK Sales, Promotions & Special Features

Tower.com Popular Book Wiki Articles

  • The Paperback
    Learn more information on the paperback format before choosing which type of book to purchase.
  • The E-Book
    What exactly is an "electronic book?" Learn before you buy with Tower Wiki!
  • The Audio Book
    Do you prefer to read or be read to? Learn more about this increasingly popular book format.

Interact with Tower.com