The Assassin's Doctor by Robert Summers

[Gene C]

Written by forum member Robert Summers, this is the most objective view of Dr. Mudd's involvement in the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy that I have read.

Note: there are 2 Books titled the Assassin's Doctor by Robert Summers.
This review is for - The Assassian's Dr. , A Biography of Dr. Samuel A Mudd, copyright 2022, with 385 pages
The other book - The Assassin's Dr. -The Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Mudd, copyright 2014 with 715 pages.

The Amazon page is confusing, with combinations of information on the two books on one site. The book title, sample pages and reviews seem to be from the Life and Letters book; the book cover picture and product details are for the Biography book.
The "About the Author" section gives more info about "A Biography" - Author Robert Summers has written and published several books about his great grandfather, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd. These include a book about the slaves who worked on Dr. Mudd's farm, a book about Dr. Mudd's incarceration at the Fort Jefferson military prison following the Lincoln assassination trial, and a book about Dr. Mudd's wife Sarah Dyer Mudd. The information in these early books has now been incorporated into a single complete biography of Dr. Mudd entitled The Assassin's Doctor.
Does that make any sense? The web site below should get you the shorter, Biography

https://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Doctor-...145&sr=8-1

Now that I've cleared all that up, this is a good, well researched, comprehensive, objective view of Dr, Mudd. Most of the book is about Mudd's involvement with Booth, the trial and his imprisonment at Ft. Jefferson. Most of Mudd's problems begin with his association with Booth and some poor choices. Add to this evasive, misleading and incomplete information given to gov't investigators and his own lawyers (and all of us Perry Mason fans know what that can lead to) Mudd was lucky they didn't hang him too.

He is able to partially redeem his reputation when he replaced the prison doctor who died during a Yellow Fever epidemic. 270 of the 387 people at the fort contracted the fever (including Mudd) and 38 died, including fellow prisoner Michael O'Laughlen. Mudd's selfless attention to the sick saved many lives.

This will be a nice addition to your Lincoln Library

[RJNorton]

Many thanks for posting, Gene.

[Eva Elisabeth]

As always, a helpful review, Gene. Just to clarify - did you read both books? If one had to decide on one purchase, which of the two books would you go for?

[Gene C]

I have both, but I have only read the biography.
The Life and Letters looks interesting, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by its length and haven't read it yet.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thank you, Gene, so the one you read seems the better respectively more attractive option to start with.

[Gene C]

For me, yes.

[bob_summers]

Hi Gene. I just saw your post here. Thanks for the kind words. Sorry for the confusion. The original 2014 edition, The Assassin's Doctor - The Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Mudd, was so large that Amazon's printing cost made the paperback version too expensive. I don't still have a copy of that edition, but I think much of the bulk was inclusion of letters he wrote from Fort Jefferson, which are readily available in the public domain biography his daughter Nettie Mudd wrote in 1906.

The current edition, which I should have clearly marked as the Second Edition, contains everything important from the original, and everything important from my smaller books on his time at Fort Jefferson, his slaves, and his wife, which I have discontinued. I wanted to have a single, comprehensive, affordable biography of Dr. Mudd, which I think I've now done.

There will be no more changes. At 85, my book-writing days are over.

While writing this note, I noticed a new Amazon review of my book by "Strawberry Wrong", who hammers it and me pretty good. I knew being a descendant of Dr. Mudd would make me a suspect biographer, but I tried very hard to produce an accurate historical account of him. I think I succeeded, but it looks like not everyone agrees.

Best,

Bob Summers

---

Gene, for five days, starting tomorrow (2-7-2024), forum members can download a free copy of The Assassin's Doctor ebook from Amazon, and a free copy of my ebook about the 19th Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops, entitled Maryland's Black Civil War Soldiers. Hope this makes up for the confusion. I'm not advertising this anywhere else.

- Bob Summers

[STS Lincolnite]

(02-06-2024 06:53 AM)bob_summers Wrote:  Hi Gene. I just saw your post here. Thanks for the kind words. Sorry for the confusion. The original 2014 edition, The Assassin's Doctor - The Life and Letters of Dr. Samuel Mudd, was so large that Amazon's printing cost made the paperback version too expensive. I don't still have a copy of that edition, but I think much of the bulk was inclusion of letters he wrote from Fort Jefferson, which are readily available in the public domain biography his daughter Nettie Mudd wrote in 1906.

The current edition, which I should have clearly marked as the Second Edition, contains everything important from the original, and everything important from my smaller books on his time at Fort Jefferson, his slaves, and his wife, which I have discontinued. I wanted to have a single, comprehensive, affordable biography of Dr. Mudd, which I think I've now done.

There will be no more changes. At 85, my book-writing days are over.

While writing this note, I noticed a new Amazon review of my book by "Strawberry Wrong", who hammers it and me pretty good. I knew being a descendant of Dr. Mudd would make me a suspect biographer, but I tried very hard to produce an accurate historical account of him. I think I succeeded, but it looks like not everyone agrees.

Best,

Bob Summers

---

Gene, for five days, starting tomorrow (2-7-2024), forum members can download a free copy of The Assassin's Doctor ebook from Amazon, and a free copy of my ebook about the 19th Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops, entitled Maryland's Black Civil War Soldiers. Hope this makes up for the confusion. I'm not advertising this anywhere else.

- Bob Summers

Bob, Thanks for this generous offer! I already owned the print book edition of your Dr. Mud books, but I did take the opportunity to get this e-book as well. I will enjoy the re-read in a new format!! I will also be anxious to read for the first time your book on 19th regiment of the USCT. Thanks again!