Book of the Week (9/5/2022)

Cranks: Geniuses, Weirdos and Eccentrics From All Over New England by Eric Stanway (Emu Books, 2014)

"New England has more than its share of bizarre personalities, from Lord Timothy Dexter, who made a fortune from the most twisted circumstances, to Walter E. Tillinghast, who claimed to have buzzed all over the region in his own airship. Then there’s the famous “Leather Man,” who spent 30 years traveling in a wide circle, and General Daniel Pratt, whose nonsensical lectures made him a weird celebrity. Join us in an exploration of the most noted oddballs of the northeast, as we recount the exploits of these notorious eccentrics." --Publisher's blurb