Elmer McCurdy: The Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw - Paperback

by Mark Svenvold (Author)

The unbelievably true story of an American outlaw, who became shockingly notorious years after his death.

"Poignant, pathetic, and relentlessly hilarious." --The Washington Post

When Elmer McCurdy was shot dead by an Oklahoma sheriff and his posse after a short spree of bungled robberies, he was not laid to rest. Leaning in a corner for a nickel-a-look at the Joseph Johnson Funeral Home, exhibited as a felled outlaw at the sideshows of the Great Patterson Carnival, propped up to illustrate the dangers of marijuana and other vices in Hollywood exploitation movies--Elmer McCurdy became big business. This is his story.

Author Biography

Mark Svenvold has published two poetry collections. Soul Data, his second collection, won a Discovery/The Nation award in poetry. His nonfiction has appeared in Harper's Bazaar and elsewhere. He lives in New York City.