Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-386) and index.
Summary, etc.:
"In 1843, James Strang, a charismatic young lawyer and avowed atheist, converted to a burgeoning religious movement known as Mormonism. He persuaded hundreds to follow him to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, and declared himself a divine king. He controlled a fourth of the state of Michigan, practiced plural marriages, and established a pirate colony where he perpetrated thefts, corruption and frauds of all kinds. His assassination made front-page news across the country. Harvey tells Strang's fascinating but largely forgotten story, an account of one of the country's boldest con men and the boisterous era that allowed him to thrive." -- Adapted from book jacket.
The King of Confidence : A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch
Section
Section Description
Page Number
Prologue: In which an angel watches a man fall from a window in Illinois, then flies to Wisconsin with pressing business
p. 3
Chapter 1
In which we meet a man who isn't there
p. 10
Chapter 2
In which we encounter a mermaid and witness the birth of another imaginary being
p. 23
Chapter 3
In which one shining city falls and another begins to rise from, the prairie
p. 33
Chapter 4
In which a kingdom is horn
p. 53
Chapter 5
In which one charlatan is run out of town, only to be replaced by an even greater scoundrel
p. 72
Chapter 6
In which the end of the world approaches and a sea monster is spotted off Beaver Island
p. 82
Chapter 7
In which we meet J. J. Strang's mysterious nephew
p. 94
Chapter 8
In which our protagonist faces a choice between the diabolical and the divine-and, for once, does not place himself on both sides
p. 106
Chapter 9
In which the King of Earth and Heaven is inaugurated with a crown made of paper on a throne stuffed with tree moss
p. 120
Chapter 10
In which the inhabitants of Beaver Island evolve into what Charles Darwin might have called "a different set of beings"
p. 130
Chapter 11
In which a melodrama is performed, and the curtains fall on one of the players
p. 140
Chapter 12
In which the country's chief executive can't make up his mind
p. 155
Chapter 13
In which many people feel trapped
p. 164
Chapter 14
In which one fanatic hunts a white whale and another tracks down a missing monarch
p. 172
Chapter 15
In which a tragedy opens in Detroit, and a drama comes to its climax on Beaver Island
p. 181
Chapter 16
In which a murderous mood descends upon the kingdom
p. 188
Chapter 17
In which the prosecutor wishes he had a bit more evidence, and the defendant wishes he had one true friend
p. 199
Chapter 18
In which the King of Earth and Heaven runs for elective office
p. 206
Chapter 19
In which the King of Beaver Island visits his old haunts, contemplates eating poison, and loses a machine that can predict the future
p. 217
Chapter 20
In which a legend appears, and a horse thief departs
p. 226
Chapter 21
In which the prophet writes a book, and his followers vote like hell
p. 238
Chapter 22
In which the prophet, like just about everyone else, threatens to slaughter all his enemies
p. 248
Chapter 23
In which the picture comes into focus
p. 257
Chapter 24
In which various people whip their neighbors, bludgeon their colleagues, hack their enemies to death, and bring the United States to the verge of civil war while James Strang insists there's absolutely nothing to worry about
p. 268
Chapter 25
In which the king makes his final procession
p. 280
Chapter 26
In which our story ends where it began-with a disappearance