Blacklegs, card sharps, and confidence men : nineteenth-century Mississippi River gambling stories / edited by Thomas Ruys Smith.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Smith, Thomas Ruys, 1979-

ProQuest (Firm)

Series:

Southern literary studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gamblers--Mississippi River--Literary collections.

Gamblers.

Gambling on river boats--Mississippi River--History--19th century--Literary collections.

Gambling on river boats.

River life--Mississippi River--History--19th century--Literary collections.

River life.

American literature--19th century.

American literature.

American literature--Mississippi.

Manners and customs.

History.

Mississippi River Valley--Social life and customs--19th century--Literary collections.

Mississippi River Valley.

Mississippi.

Mississippi River.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Literary collections.

Literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 271 pages).

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2010]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

In 1836 Benjamin Drake, a midwestern writer of popular sketches for newspapers of the day, introduced his readers to a new and distinctly American rascal who rode the steamboats up and down the Mississippi and other western waterways -- the riverboat gambler. These men, he recorded, "dress with taste and elegance; carry gold chronometers in their pockets; and swear with the most genteel precision.... Every where throughout the valley, these mistletoe gentry are called by the original, if not altogether classic, cognomen of 'Black-legs.'" In Blacklegs, Card Sharps, and Confidence Men, Thomas Ruys Smith collects nineteenth-century stories, sketches, and book excerpts by a gallery of authors to create a comprehensive collection of writings about the riverboat gambler. Long an iconic figure in American myth and popular culture but, strangely, one that has never until now received a book-length treatment, the Mississippi River gambler was a favorite character throughout the nineteenth century -- one often rich with moral ambiguities that remain unresolved to this day. In the absorbing fictional and nonfictional accounts of high stakes and sudden reversals of fortune found in the pages of Smith's book, the voices of canonized writers such as William Dean Howells, Herman Melville, and, of course, Mark Twain hold prominent positions. But they mingle seamlessly with lesser-known pieces such as an excerpt from Edward Willett's sensationalistic dime novel Flush Fred's Full Hand, raucous sketches by anonymous Old Southwestern humorists from the Spirit of the Times, and colorful accounts by now nearly forgotten authors such as Daniel R. Hundley and George W. Featherstonhaugh. Smith puts the twenty-eight selections in perspective with an Introduction that thoroughly explores the history and myth surrounding this endlessly fascinating American cultural icon. While the riverboat gambler may no longer ply his trade along the Mississippi, Blacklegs, Card Sharps, and Confidence Men makes clear the ways in which he still operates quite successfully in the American imagination.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.

OCLC:

659500488

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.