Big congratulations to author Kim Y. Wittel on the publication of her book, Born Crooked, and a great feature article that recently appeared in Lancaster Online. The piece begins with an anecdote about how she came to write the book, and what it’s about:
Kim Y. Wittel had no idea where it would lead when she stumbled upon an obituary about a distant relative in the Manheim Sentinel.
She had no idea it would lead to years of research that would unravel a tale about 19th century forgers and counterfeiters trying to outwit agents of the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency.
She had no idea it would consume almost 10 years and lead to a book titled “Born Crooked: The Forgers Whose Audacity Challenged the Pinkertons,” which was published last year.
[Read the whole article here.]
All those years of work paid off in a beautifully written book of nonfiction. It was a pleasure to work with Kim on the design and production of the book, and her website. I love it when a writer brings a manuscript that’s chock full of things I’m instantly fascinated by, even though I’d never heard of the subject matter before. That was the case with Born Crooked, which systematically examines the processes and personalities of 19th century ne’er-do-wells.
Order the book here, or follow Kim at the Second Lock Press Facebook page.
