The king of confidence : a tale of utopian dreamers, frontier schemers, true believers, false prophets, and the murder of an American monarch Cover Image

Book

The king of confidence : a tale of utopian dreamers, frontier schemers, true believers, false prophets, and the murder of an American monarch / Miles Harvey.

ISBN: 9780316463591
ISBN: 0316463590
Physical Description: ix, 401 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Little Brown and Company, 2020.
Copyright: &copy;2020

Harvey, Miles, 1960- (author.).

Summary:

In 1843, James Strang, a charismatic young lawyer and avowed atheist, converted to a burgeoning religious movement known as Mormonism, persuaded hundreds to follow him to Lake Michigan, and declared himself a divine king. This book presents an account of one of the country's boldest con men and the boisterous era that allowed him to thrive.

"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.