Devil's Tickets
by Pomerantz, Gary M
Kansas City, 1929: Myrtle and Jack Bennett sit down with another couple for an evening of bridge. As the game intensifies, Myrtle complains that Jack is a "bum bridge player." For such insubordination, he slaps her hard in front of their stunned guests and announces he is leaving. Moments later, sobbing, with a Colt .32 pistolin hand, Myrtle fires four shots, killing her husband.The Roaring 1920s inspired nationwide fads--flagpole sitting, marathon dancing, swimming-pool endurance floating. But of all the mad games that cheered Americans between the wars, the least likely was contract bridge. As the Barnum of the bridge craze, Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent, used mystique, brilliance, and a certain madness to transform bridge from a social pastime into a cultural movement that made him rich and famous. In writings, in lectures, and on the radio, he used the Bennett killing to dramatize bridge as the battle of the sexes. Indeed, Myrtle Bennett's murder trial became a sensation because it brought a beautiful housewife--and hints of her husband's infidelity--from the bridge table into the national spotlight. James A. Reed, Myrtle's high-powered lawyer and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, delivered soaring, tear-filled courtroom orations. As Reed waxed on about the sanctity of womanhood, he was secretly conducting an extramarital romance with a feminist trailblazer who lived next door.To the public, bridge symbolized tossing aside the ideals of the Puritans--who referred derisively to playing cards as "the Devil's tickets"--and embracing the modern age. Ina time when such fearless women as Amelia Earhart, Dorothy Parker, and Marlene Dietrich were exalted for their boldness, Culbertson positioned his game as a challenge to all housebound women. At the bridge table, he insisted, a woman could be her husband's equal, and more. In the gathering darkness of the Depression, Culbertson leveraged his own ballyhoo and naughty innuendo for all it was worth, maneuvering himself and his brilliant wife, Jo, his favorite bridge partner, into a media spectacle dubbed the Bridge Battle of the Century. Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, The Devil's Tickets captures a uniquely colorful age and a tension in marriage that is eternal.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
Review this book!
Available Copies
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- First Edition
- Published
- 2009-06-09
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Jose, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$17.00
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2009-06-09. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Fine. Signed. First printing. SIGNED, without inscription, by Gary Pomerantz on the title page. The volume is very lightly bumped on the spine ends, The mylar sleeved, unclipped dust jacket is fine. Item Price
$17.00
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, A Fatal Hand, and A New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M.
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Woodlawn, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
$9.99
Show Details
Description:
New York, New York, U. S. A.: Crown Publishers, 2009. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Stated First Edition With The Number Line Indicating A First Printing. Includes Contract Bridge Glossary, Chapter Notes, Bibliographical References And Index. The Book Is Bound In Brown Paper Over One Quarter… Read more about this item Item Price
$9.99
The Devil's Tickets : A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, USA
- Item Price
-
$5.87
Show Details
Description:
Crown Publishing Group, The. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Item Price
$5.87
The Devil's Tickets : A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$5.87
Show Details
Description:
Crown Publishing Group, The. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
$5.87
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M.
- Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Olathe, Kansas, USA
- Item Price
-
$9.97
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2009. Book. Fine. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Signed by Gary M. Pomerantz on the title page.. Item Price
$9.97
The Devil's Tickets: a Night of Bridge, A Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Gary M. Pomerantz
- Condition
- Used - Good Condition
- Edition
- [ Edition: First ]
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$3.08
Show Details
Description:
[ Edition: First ]. Good Condition. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: NONE ] Publisher: Crown Pub Date: 6/9/2009 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 300 Item Price
$3.08
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Like New
- Edition
- First Edition
- Published
- 2009-06-09
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Boonsboro, Maryland, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.74
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2009-06-09. First Edition. Hardcover. Like New. 6x1x9. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Light wear. Clean, unmarked pages. Item Price
$10.74
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, A Fatal Hand, and A New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M.
- Condition
- Used - Fine copy in fine dust jacket
- Edition
- 1st
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Pittsford, New York, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.00
Show Details
Description:
New York: Crown Publishers. Fine copy in fine dust jacket. 2009. 1st. hardcover. 8vo, pp. . Item Price
$10.00
The Devil's Tickets : A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$5.87
Show Details
Description:
Crown Publishing Group, The. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Item Price
$5.87
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Gary M. Pomerantz
- Condition
- Used
- Edition
- First edition
- Published
- 2008
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.00
Show Details
Description:
Very clean book. Pictures on request Item Price
$12.00
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Gary M. Pomerantz
- Condition
- As New
- Jacket Condition
- As New
- Published
- June 2009
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Wichita, Kansas, USA
- Item Price
-
$14.00
Show Details
Description:
Crown, June 2009. Hardcover. As New/As New. Jacket is price-clipped. Item Price
$14.00
The Devil's Tickets: A Vengeful Wife, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9781400051632
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Victoria, British Columbia, CAN
- Item Price
-
$7.99
Show Details
Description:
Crown. Used - Good. Item Price
$7.99
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Fine in fine dust jacket.
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Hard cover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Derwood, Maryland, USA
- Item Price
-
$6.49
Show Details
Description:
New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group (NY). 2009. Hard cover. Fine in fine dust jacket.. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 300 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Line drawings, black & white, Diagrams. Audience: General/trade. . No previous owner's name. Clean, tight pages. No bent corners. Not price clipped. . Item Price
$6.49
The Devil's Tickets: A Vengeful Wife, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Like New
- Published
- 2011-07-12
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781400051632
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$13.48
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2011-07-12. Paperback. Like New. Item Price
$13.48
The Devil's Tickets : A Vengeful Wife, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9781400051632
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.43
Show Details
Description:
Crown Publishing Group, The. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
$10.43
The Devil's Tickets: A Vengeful Wife, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2011-07-12
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781400051632
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.14
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2011-07-12. Paperback. New. Item Price
$12.14
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2009-06-09
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781400051625
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$101.31
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2009-06-09. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$101.31
The Devil's Tickets: A Vengeful Wife, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
by Pomerantz, Gary M
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2011-07-12
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781400051632
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$101.72
Show Details
Description:
Crown, 2011-07-12. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$101.72