{"product_id":"history-of-my-own-times-or-the-life-and-adventures-of-william-otter-sen-comprising-a-series-of-events-and-musical-incidents-altogether-original-9780801426674","title":"History of My Own Times; Or, the Life and Adventures of William Otter, Sen., Comprising a Series of Events, and Musical Incidents Altogether Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): William Otter | Richard B. Stott\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: United States - 19th Century\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBig Bill Otter was one member of the early American working class not preoccupied with republican principles or the heritage of the Revolution. Big Bill Otter--apprentice, journeyman, master plasterer--was a thug.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOtter's autobiography, first published in 1835, provides a rare and fascinating counterpoint to romantic notions of virtuous, respectable craftsmen in the early republic. His \u003ci\u003eLife and Adventures\u003c\/i\u003e offer an inside account of the brawling racism common in the early nineteenth century and sharply detail the rowdy male subculture of the times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in England and conscripted into the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars, Otter jumped ship and came to New York City in 1801. He apprenticed as a plasterer and joined an urban gang; later he was a master plasterer, tavernkeeper, slavecatcher, \"Jackson man,\" bigot, town bully, notorious practical joker, borderline psychopath, mayoral candidate, and all-round \"jolly fellow.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHistory of My Own Times\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the few first-person accounts of a rural artisan in pre-genteel America. The book depicts the ambiguities of race relations in the early nineteenth century, sheds light on its definition of manhood, and conveys a sense of humor very different from today's. Richard B. Stott's introduction an, d commentary place Otter in the context of his times and explore the significance of his autobiography in understanding the social and cultural history of the early American republic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47614860787863,"sku":"9780801426674","price":16559.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780801426674.webp?v=1775097070","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/history-of-my-own-times-or-the-life-and-adventures-of-william-otter-sen-comprising-a-series-of-events-and-musical-incidents-altogether-original-9780801426674","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}