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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781435711754
ISBN number: 1435711750
Label: Angel Dust Publishing / Lulu.com
Manufacturer: Angel Dust Publishing / Lulu.com
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 276
Printing Date: February 23, 2008
Publishing house: Angel Dust Publishing / Lulu.com
Release Date: February 23, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 134262
Studio: Angel Dust Publishing / Lulu.com
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Who murdered Andrew and Abby Borden?
The Lizzie haters say: 'If Lizzie is innocent, why didn't the killer kill her too? Why didn't she see him in the house?' while the Lizzie lovers say: 'Andrew had enemies; and besides, Lizzie couldn't have accomplished the murders so cleanly.'
On Thursday morning, August the 4th 1892, in the safe and sleepy mill town of Fall River, Massachusetts, Andrew and Abby Borden were savagely hacked to death in their home. Their upstanding and respectable younger daughter, Lizzie, was suspected and tried for their murders but was acquitted of the crime. If she was guilty, one can say she severed her family ties in the bloodiest way imaginable. If she wasn't guilty, she is one of the most maliciously maligned innocents that criminal history has ever seen.
Unlike most books on Lizzie Borden (which have a theory or agenda), this book instead poses the strongest clear factual arguments for why Lizzie may be either guilty or innocent, without any biased conclusions on the author's part. It also includes striking rare new revelations and anecdotes about Lizzie's private life, in addition to known facts being presented in a new way, and many rare and previously unpublished photographs.
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Rated by buyers 
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The third and revised printing of David Rehak's 270 page softcover book, Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It?, contains a never before seen note written in Lizzie's hand shortly after the sinking of the Titanic. That alone makes it a collectible as far as I'm concerned.
This is a different kind of Lizzie book. Traditionally, the Lizzie books have a sequential, narrative progression, spilling forth the saga of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden against the backdrop of Fall River, Massachusetts and peppered with some new (and often outrageous) theories of "who dunnit." Not this book. No long, flowing narratives here. No in-depth research filling chapter after chapter. Instead Dave takes us on a thoroughly enjoyable Mr. Toad's wild ride weaving in and out, up and down, over and around and back again, giving us punches of "in your face" data to quickly absorb, question, and quickly move on.
In the Introduction he says he deals with the facts "as we know them". Well, not entirely. For example, an early error is in the constricted Timeline that has John Morse visiting his niece and nephew, "the Emerys" on Weybosset street. Nonetheless, with almost bullet-point speed he whisks us through "Lizzie didn't do it", then rebounds with "Lizzie did it" having laid out the basics and offers conclusions - not opinionated but taken from reportings of the day.
Then we are off and flying again into the skies of "whys". Why was Lizzie thought to be a lesbian - featuring Nance O'Neil; why does Lizzie linger; why was Lizzie a romantic being, and so on. Along the read-ride we bump into Lizzie's alledged boyfriend (David Anthony), the alleged illegitimate son of Andrew (William S. Borden), her disloyal friend (Alice Russell), her loyal supporter (Mary Livermore). If television's TMZ and "Acess Hollywood" were turned into a book on Lizzie, this would be it. Fast flashes that move from one salacious tidbit to another, the reader learns something new, re-processes something already known, and finds points to question and challenge - depending upon the level of expertise of the reader.
While Mr. Rehak asserts he makes no claim as to her guilt or innocence, it is clear he has a real affection for the inscrutable Miss Borden and sways from an unbiased hand more than once. For this we can forgive him. Most authors attempting to maintain neutrality often write with a slight transparency allowing the reader to draw the correct conclusion.
There are two things that have never been published in any book on the Borden case before and they appear in this book only. One is revealed to the public in printed form for the very first time. First, this portrait of Andrew J. Borden as a young man - perhaps taken at the time he married Sarah Morse Borden. Neither this image or similar image has appeared in a book up to this time. Second, and more importantly, something "new" in Lizzie's own hand: a note she wrote not long after the sinking of the Titantic wanting the initial "B" placed on toiletry items for her matching case. It gives us insight into Lizzie's own vanity, her keen eye for quality, and maybe even tells us how much that "B" as in B O R D E N meant to her.
I would recommend to any Bordenia collector to purchase Dave's book for these images alone. However, as the reader traverses through the uneven flow of these pages, he/she will come upon many new images not published previously except in his own editions. In addition, one can't help but chuckle at some of the fantasy in the form of poems, psychic contacts with meeting Lizzie, and particularly "Lizzie's New Hat", all the more solidifying the fact this is like no other Lizzie book and stands as an "Anomaly of Audacity" to put a twisted contemporary pun on it.
David Rehak has done us all a favor, regardless of the factual accuracy and lack of scholarly research and citations. He has given us a marvelous compendium representative of the orbit that spins around our Miss Lizzie, and he's done it with originality, good humor, and a fast track ride wholly entertaining and worthy of our attention.
I wrote about this new edition coming out in a previous blog entry of mine whereby I explained the facts of why a second edition was "rushed to print." This third edition has corrected the abysmal editing errors that were an unfortunate result. You can read why this happened at my blog. If you have the very first edition - hold on to that baby - it's value just soared! And having a collection of all 3 is what the true Borden collector aspires. So if you are a collector, you'll want this book and Dave's two previous issues.
It was my pleasure to provide Dave with several of the images in the book, some not published before. In the 8 years I have known him, I've found him to be a kind man - a sensitive man, and one I'm proud to call a friend. I recommend you purchase this unique collectible and treat yourself ... Read More
Rated by buyers 
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Well written, great research and good photos. Anybody who appreciates
good documentation and entertainment will love this book.
Rated by buyers -
There are many unsolved murders in history, but few hold the public interest like the 1892 slayings of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie, 32 years old at the time, was tried for the murders and found innocent but as David Rehak points out, her acquittal was never fully endorsed by public opinion. He proposes that the story lives on in part because the public sees Lizzie as either (a) having acted out their own fantasy of retribution, or else (b) as a symbol of gross suspicion and injustice. There was family disharmony, a large inheritance under dispute, a suspect of unblemished reputation, and a mountain of fact and speculation that defied integration into a sound case.
Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? is a compendium of Bordenia that is sure to enlighten all with an interest in this mystifying case. David Rehak, known for his works of fiction, developed an interest in the case and researched meticulously before presenting this book. The current edition has been amplified and re-issued, and there are a few editing flaws in this new version that could have been addressed to bump my rank up to five stars. In spite of this, I found it an absorbing and extremely thorough canvass of the facts and speculations about the case. There are many photographs included, some of them previously unpublished.
Starting with a thorough chronology of the fateful day in August 1892, Rehak goes on to examine the sometimes-confusing facts from the public record. Next he covers the speculation and rumour that emerged in his research. The suggestion of a never-revealed diary, theories about Lizzie's relationships and sexuality, and stories from her later life are detailed fastidiously. The sites and "shrines" associated with Lizzie's life and the murders are covered--the house where the Bordens lived and died is now a bed-and-breakfast hotel.
The final section of the book is the most unusual. Rehak discusses a number of articles in print that relate to the case. He details the non-disclosure of case-related documents held by Lizzie's trial attorney which are protected by legal privilege. There is a challenge to this status from a number of parties, with the argument being made that historical interest trumps privilege in this case, with all participants being long dead. Will we ever see the contents of the five file drawers secured in a law firm in Springfield, Massachusetts?
As a final serving of Bordenia, the book finishes with some fictional writings featuring Lizzie and the case. Here the speculations are given free rein! It's an entertaining finish to a sad story. Our desire to know what actually happened to Andrew and Abby Borden may never be satisfied, but Did Lizzie Borden Axe for It? takes the discusion forward in a most entertaining fashion.
Linda Bulger, 2008
Rated by buyers -
I had the privilege of editing the very first version of this book for author David Rehak. This is an excellent, updated version with a new cover that I find appropriate for the book's content.
Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It? is Rehak's very first nonfiction book, for which he did extensive research. Rehak discovered many new facts about Lizzie Borden, and to lighten the serious nature of the book, he also wrote some humorous skits. At very first thought, one would tend to think humour wouldn't work in a book like this, but he pulls it off ... somehow. I found the break from gore to humour to be a welcome relief. (Well, it works in the best horror movies, doesn't it?)
Even if you're not into "Bordenia," which I'm not, you will be intrigued by this book. It's different, to say the least. I learned new things about Lizzie Borden that haven't been brought to light before, and the previously unpublished photos add more mystery to the content.
Someone once wrote of Rehak: "He dares to go where most authors fear to tread." And I agree: In his fictitious works, he writes about many taboo subjects. This nonfiction book about Lizzie Borden seems natural for his unique skills.
Reviewed Author name: Betty Dravis, 2008
Author of: Millennium Babe: The Prophecy
Rated by buyers -
I recently finished reading David Rehak's book; "DID LIZZIE BORDEN AXE FOR IT?"
As the "fly-sheet" indicates, this book on Lizzie Borden is a collection of facts and poses no theory or specific agenda regarding the murders.
It would have been better if, Rehak had put a little more of himself and ideas into the book.
Rehak delivers a "semi-truck" full of accumulated factual information and then...dumps the entire load onto the reader with little or, no mercy. Trying to dig oneself out from underneath this mountain of information to understand what is pertinent and what is not, seems a rather hopless task.
The author also seems to simply by-pass some informational leads because "he" feels the story has nothing supporting it's validity. For instance; he mentions (on page65-66) an old nurse who, in 1984 claimed she had cared for Lizzie Borden in 1926 (the year before Lizzie's death). The nurse claimed Lizzie had confided in her that one of her "boyfriends" (if she ever had any),David Anthony had in fact, committed the crimes. This man, according to the author, was later identified (by whom?), but died in 1924. Mr. Rehak dismisses this entire story seemingly because suspect, David Anthony would have only been 22 years old at the time of the crime while Lizzie would have been 32.
Despite all of this; David Rehak has published not a literary masterpiece, but a much better reference book for all of us "arm-chair" detectives to call upon when the trail gets even colder.
Did Lizzie Axe for it? I think, she asked someone else "to Axe for her."
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