Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in New York History features fifteen short profiles of notorious bad guys, perpetrators of mischief, visionary if misunderstood thinkers, and other colorful antiheroes from the history of the Empire State. It reveals the dark side of some well-known and even revered characters from New York's past-both part-time Jerks and others who were Jerks through and through. They include: Anthony Comstock: The Jerk Most Likely to Send You to Prison for No Good Reason Charles Becker: The Jerk Most Likely to Bribe You, Then Have You Killed Fernando Wood: The Jerk Most Likely to Cheat You and Get Away With It. Book jacket.