<DIV>The lives of notorious bad guys, perpetrators of mischief, visionary–if misunderstood–thinkers, and other colorful antiheroes, jerks, and evil doers from history all get their due in the short essays featured in these enlightening, informative, books. <i>Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in New England History </i>features twenty short biographies of nefarious characters, from Charles W. Morse, serial monopolist, cheat, liar, and swindler, to Emeline Meaker & Mary Rogers, otherwise known as the Lady Killers.</div>