This, just like the author's other two similar works about Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy, is poorly written, all but un-documented, and based on theories that have been previously disproven. In this instance the contention is that JWB was not killed at the Garrett farm April 26, 1865. Instead Jameson - who claims to be a descendant of JWB - claims, as have others before, that another man with the same initials - James Wm Boyd - was killed at Garrett's and Booth actually escaped and lived under the assumed names of John St. Helen and David E. George. Although the author contends that "the evidence is compelling and strong" that JWB eluded his pursuers and "evidence is plentiful and mounting and invites more research and investigation" that he went abroad to avoid detection and later returned to the US (p. 199), he cites next to nothing in his text. Although a few statements and assertions are accompanied by in-text references, he provides no detailed information about where his information comes from, even though he does have a bibliography that shows a good familiarity with the extant Assassination literature. Any work that proposes a theory as controversial as Jamesons should be able to provide the documentation to back-up his claims. In this Jameson fails miserably. That said, he does include a good general overview of the Assassination (which takes up about 3/4 of the book), but should a reader unfamiliar with the Assassination read it they might not be able to discern what is accepted fact and what is the author's unsupported claims. But just as with his other famous person who really didn't die books, much of it is wishful thinking, fantasy, and unsupported assertions. ( )

All too often we take history for granted. Either we sleep through the class in school or we completely swallow whatever is spoon-fed to us. Rarely are we taking the time to research whether these accounts truly happened. 'John Wilkes Booth: Beyond the Grave' causes us to ponder the possibility of something we have generally accepted as historical fact to be completely false. It is difficult to say that all of Jameson's claims are accurate, but it does make one think and desire to dig into the history to find the truth. ( )

If you're going to make an argument that John Wilkes Booth didn't die in the raid on Garrett's Farm, that high-level members of the Lincoln administration were involved in a conspiracy to bring about the assassination of the president, &c. &c., you'd better darn well lay out your case in great detail and give me citations to every single bit of data you're using to draw those conclusions. Not only does Jameson not do that, he also has written a book filled with repetitions, internal contradictions, citations vague to the point of utter uselessness ("several researchers say", &c.). It quickly became impossible to know where he might have found some interesting question about the standard interpretation of the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath and where he was simply pulling some bizarre conspiracy theory out of the air.

Skip this one. ( )

I like reading conspiracy-type books, just like many others, and this book is definitely one of those books. The one thing that was frustrating was the lack of foot notes and/or end notes. I like being able to see where facts come from, and with none of this available it would be next to impossible to do that. While he does list a lot of references I don't have the time to read all of them to learn where the author was getting his information. ( )

I found 'John Wilkes Booth: Beyond the Grave' entertaining, but i found W.C. Jameson's approach and lack of supporting research hard to get past. While there are definitely conspiracy theories, I believe that more research into each of them would have made the book a much better read.

John Wilkes Booth; Beyond the Grave is a biography of the assassin of Abraham Lincoln after his government determined death. the author, W.C.Jameson has written other books purporting to the lives of notable people after their popular death. I n this book Jameson tries to convince the reader that John Wilkes Booth not only survived but travelled extensively, married and had a family. Much of the book is spent in debunking the government investigation of the death of a person who was thought to be John Wilkes Booth in burning barn on the farm of a man named Garrett. Jameson does a masterful job of pointing out discrepancies in the governments case. Much of his case depends upon a chance happening of a man with the initial of JWB - James William Boyd - a Confederate officer was the one actually hidden in the tobacco drying barn on Garrett's farm. Many items are unexplained in the government case, not the least of which is the explanation of Booth's diary found at a campsite he had used for only a short time, then another diary found on the man killed on the farm. The contents of these diaries has not been divulged to this day. Many other discrepancies are noted such as the number of horsemen crossed over the Navy Bridge that night. The case for what happened to John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated Lincoln is certainly open to question with the information presented. However, the story of what did happen to Booth if in fact he survived was not as adeptly handled. Many different scenarios are presented, but none are as coherent as the government case. Jameson gives many different scenarios,, some with Booth traveling as far a India to live. Other possibilities have him meeting with his family in California and living in the Southwest. So the reader is left feeling the assassin of Lincoln not only survived, but prospered. However, only conjecture about the true story does the author present.
I had a difficult time reading this book. Much of the tone was strident, telling me how bad the government's case was, but not offering a coherent explanation for what really did happen. I give tis book 3 stars. ( )

Overall an entertainingly written book, that presents the official version of events surrounding Lincoln's assassination and the subsequent flight, capture and death of John Wilkes Booth followed by arguments as to why that official version is wrong.

At first many of the ideas presented were plausible enough to get me to think again about several of the "facts" as I knew them, but when the central thesis started to relay on way too many, and frankly absurd, coincidences it lost any credibility.

It would also have strengthened the author's case to settle on and fully research one of the "extended life" theories rather than present a veritable potpourri of Booth sightings and encounters.

In short, highly readable, but flawed. ( )

Even the most casual student of American history is aware of the facts surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865. Lincoln, attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, with his wife Mary, was set upon and murdered by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth, who was then pursued through the surrounding countryside before being gunned down by a Union cavalry troop in Richard Garrett's barn. The subsequent federal investigation revealed a web of conspiracy preceding Booth's actions, including an attack on Secretary of State William Seward, which brought to justice several individuals who've become infamous icons of American history (as well as coining the phrase "his name was Mudd"). But what if the facts that have been taught to generations of schoolchildren were mostly fabrications intended to conceal just how far into the halls of power the Booth conspiracy reached? What if Booth himself was never shot dead in Garrett's barn? Author and treasure hunter W.C. Jameson's new book "John Wilkes Booth: Beyond the Grave" sets out to expose the inconsistencies in the federal government's case and submit for consideration that Booth escaped the Union dragnet and lived out his life in a globe-trekking run from the law.

Very well written and easily digested, "John Wilkes Booth: Beyond the Grave" is the sort of historical narrative that showers readers with facts without drowning them in scholarly prose. The first half of the book recounts the widely accepted version of the event, including Booth's life as an actor and smuggler prior to his involvement in the assassination plot, in a clear and colloquial style that makes keeping the twisted strands of the conspiracy easily manageable. Throughout his comprehensive examination of the official facts, Jameson hints at the inconsistencies and loose ends that he will focus upon in following chapters. With the introduction of speculation and parallel threads, the book would benefit from a greater use of maps so that readers can stay in step with the various escape routes and pursuing bodies of federal officials. Maps are included, as are some interesting and uncommon photographs, but in this case less is not more.

The remaining half of the book calls into question, quite reasonably, much if not all of the account of Booth's pursuit and capture. Everything from mistaken identities to stolen corpses to a government coverup initiated at the highest levels is presented for speculation. The author goes so far as to examine the cases of several individuals who, years after the supposed killing of Booth, claimed to be the actor living under an assumed identity. On the surface, many of the author's claims seem reasonable and worthy of further investigation, but most are clouded in supposition and the lack of significant supporting documentation. Many of Jameson's theories are based upon his interpretation of secondary and tertiary sources, often citing the works of the authors and researchers that have preceded his own investigation of the event. A few "recently discovered" primary sources are alluded to at various points in the text, but the bibliography contains only a handful of references and none appear to fit the category of a recently discovered document.

Ultimately, "John Wilkes Booth: Beyond the Grave" was written to call into question the official account of the assassination of President Lincoln, the conspiracy behind the act, and the capture and killing of the assassin himself. While questions have been raised since that fateful day in April of 1865, Jameson's treatment of the inconsistencies is done in a clear and concise manner that not only makes for good reading but also forces one to re-examine what we've been taught about this iconic chapter in American history. Recommended not only for conspiracy theorists, but for fans of history and true crime as well. ( )

The author makes an interesting, if not convincing, argument that the fate of John Wilkes Booth was completely different than the story with which most of us are familiar.
I've read a great deal about the Lincoln assassination, so I was intrigued by the concept. But many of the author's arguments seemed very thin. He notes, for example, that when Booth's body was found, it was missing some of the items - a ring and a watch - the actor was known to carry with him at all times. I doubt that a wounded man (Booth had broken his leg while trying to escape at Ford's Theater), running for his life in the largest manhunt in American history, would be especially concerned with the preservation of such objects. It's plausible that he lost them, or gave them away, or traded them - or, most likely, they were stolen off his corpse. (It seems pretty obvious that any of the soldiers or officials involved in his capture understood how valuable these objects would be.)
The author also argues how different the dead body of Booth appeared to the man he once was - but that's often the case. A hard death can completely change appearance.
And I found the whole argument that another man, whom the author says looked remarkably like Booth, died in place of the assassin, not at all convincing - and where was the photo, so we could see for ourselves that the two were so similar?
There's a lot of history here that is well-told and interesting, though not new.
Police detectives will tell you that, in most cases, what appears to be the situation probably is. Killers who don't know their victims, for example, are extremely rare; most likely the murderer is a family member or neighbor, not a notorious serial killer.
I'm one of those who has no doubt that the czar's entire family was murdered and that John Kennedy is really dead. I also believe that John Wilkes Booth was truly the man who died that day; it would take a lot more than a few "maybes" presented in this book to convince me otherwise. ( )

"John Wilkes Booth, Beyond the Grave" is perhaps an interesting read, but it is hard to take the W.C. Jameson's claims about the Lincoln assassination and the survival of Booth seriously.

To his credit, the author does start right out noting a personal bias. However, throughout the book his statements of events and facts are without any footnotes or clearly identified sources. Therefore, everything in the book must be taken as opinion, speculation, and conjecture. His failure to better support his presentation makes the book one of 'entertainment' not historical reference. ( )

I'm a lover of history, the Lincoln and Civil War time period is a favorite of mine, this book left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I felt there was not enough proof for some of the claims. All and all it was interesting.