Book talk at Boswell Books, Milwaukee, Wis.
Friday, February 13th, 6:30pm – Registration recommended
Pre-order your copy!
Boswell hosts Milwaukee author and MPL East Branch Library Services Manager for an evening featuring her new book, The 388 Tattoos of Captain George and the 389 Tales of How He Got Them.
He appeared out of the blue in Vienna, covered from head to toe in Burmese tattoos. Then, as the Golden Age of American circus began, PT Barnum made him the most famous tattooed performer of all time. He said he had been a pirate and a patriot, a rebel and a slave. He claimed he had been tortured by an evil despot, tattooed by a vengeful sailor in Kashgar, or inked by a princess in Turkistan. Captain George Costentenus told so many outrageous and conflicting tales – what is the truth?
Historian Betsy Golden Kellem says: “The circus loves nothing as much as a good story, and the tale of the Tattooed Greek is an absolute cracker. Osterud takes readers on a warmly told, impeccably researched ride through big top adventures, tattoo history, and the popular culture of the nineteenth century.”
Amelia Klem Osterud is author of The Tattooed Lady: A History and a contributor to The World Atlas of Tattoo and Tattoo Histories. She holds master’s degrees from the UWM in History and Library Science.
Amelia Klem Osterud 