SynopsisWhen Caryl Chessman appeared on the cover of Time's March 21, 1960 issue, he was the most famous prisoner in America and arguably the best-known in the world. He not only put a face on the issue of capital punishment, he made one of the most remarkable transformations by any American writer. Through access to the papers and letters of his attorneys, George T. Davis and Rosalie Asher, the unpublished manuscripts and papers held by Joseph Longstreth; reminiscences with those who knew him, like Mr. Davis, Mr. Longstreth, his agent and executor; and country music legend Merle Haggard, the first definitive portrait of the enigmatic Caryl Chessman emerges., When Caryl Chessman appeared on the cover of "Time's" March 21, 1960, issue, he was the most famous prisoner in America and arguably the best-known in the world. Through access to the papers and letters of his attorneys, unpublished manuscripts held by Joseph Longstreth, and reminiscences with those who knew him, the first definitive portrait of the enigmatic Caryl Chessman emerges.
LC Classification NumberHV6248.C44B57 2006