The Incendiary: The Misadventures of John the Painter, First Modern TerroristIn 1776 and 1777, during the American Revolution, a young Scot known only as John the Painter took his war to England by committing acts of terror in the dockyards of the mighty British navy. This is the first full-length biography of that brilliant but disturbed young man. His story offers chilling parallels to the present – and insights into why certain young men are driven to commit unspeakable crimes. Warner has written a book of history that reads like a picaresque novel, but always with a modern twist. Its hero travels to France and receives the blessing of the American envoy there. King George III offers a reward for his capture. Bow Street Runners are sent out inpursuit. Newspapers print sensational stories. A bill to suspend habeas corpus is rushed through Parliament and American privateers – the unlawful combatants of their day – are held without being charged.The Incendiarytakes readers on a fascinating journey from Europe to colonial America and finally to the gallows at Portsmouth. In this atmospheric and deftly researched tale of a young man who tried to bring down a superpower, Warner has crafted a popular history with contemporary implications. From the Hardcover edition. |
Contents
CHAPTER ONE His Boyhood | 13 |
CHAPTER TWO His Adventures as a Highwayman | 41 |
CHAPTER THREE His Adventures in Colonial America | 63 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
The Incendiary: The Misadventures of John the Painter, First Modern Terrorist Jessica Warner No preview available - 2006 |
The Incendiary: The Misadventures of John the Painter, First Modern Terrorist Jessica Warner No preview available - 2005 |
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Admiralty Adventures of William America American Revolution Apprentices Baldwin Billy G Boswell Bow Street Runners boys Bristol Britain British bundle canister Charles Isham colonies confession crime Deane's Dockyard Resident Commissioners Edinburgh Eighteenth Century English Farley's Bristol Journal February Felix Farley's Bristol Franklin Gambier George Heriot's School Hampshire Chronicle hanged History Hotham incendiary Indentured Servant Indentured Servant University James Aitken James Hill James's Chronicle January John Fielding John the Painter Klepp and Billy later Lawrence lived Lord Magazine March Navy Board Navy Board Letters New-York Historical Society newspapers once Oxford University Press Pennsylvania Peter Portsmouth Dockyard Portsmouth Dockyard Resident Post prisoner Public Advertiser published rope house Royal Dockyards Sandwich Papers Scotland Scots Scottish Servant University Park ship Silas Deane Smith started story Thomas told took town Trial of James Virginia Voke Voyage and Adventures weeks Weston William Moraley Winchester wrote York young