Did you watch the Winchester movie that came out in February? Or did you read this interesting article about her house? Or lastly, did you read Mary Jo Ignoffo’s book Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune?
If you haven’t done the latter, then you should now, because not only is it interesting but the book received a new cover! Check it out below.
“Captive of the Labyrinth is an excellent read. Ignoffo finally sets the record straight on one of the most fascinating and misunderstood women in California history. A real page-turner!”—Gary F. Kurutz, California State Library Director of Special Collections
It feels like the new cover is shrouded in mystery like Sarah Winchester was! For those who don’t know much about Sarah Winchester, here’s a little taste to what you can find inside the book.
$24.95 • 978-0-8262-1983-1 • paperback • 29 illus.
Since her death in 1922, Sarah Winchester has been perceived as a mysterious, haunted figure. After inheriting a vast fortune upon the death of her husband in 1881, she bought a simple farmhouse and turned it into what it is today. A hostile press cast Sarah as the conscience of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company—a widow shouldering responsibility for the many deaths caused by the rifle that brought her riches. She was accused of being a ghost-obsessed spiritualist, and to this day it is largely believed that the extensive construction she executed on her San José house was done to appease the ghouls around her.
“While the film and the biography couldn’t be less alike, both reach similar conclusions about Ms. Winchester: She was considerably more heroic, and considerably less nuts, than she has sometimes been painted. In Ms. Ignoffo’s book, Ms. Winchester is a savvy businesswoman; a beloved employer; and a generous sister, aunt and philanthropist. In “Winchester,” she’s a tough heroine out to protect her family and home from evil spirits and greedy company executives alike.”–New York Time’s review