Prince of swindlers

the long version

"This is the story of the rise and fall of John Sadleir. Scion of leading Tipperary Catholic gentry families - the Sadleirs and Scullys - educated by the Jesuits at Clongowes, solicitor, politician, newspaper proprietor, defender of the Catholic faith but above all speculator in votes, land, railways, banks, he was it seemed a man of all talents. Ambition outweighed ability, however, and Sadleir's disgrace as a politician and failure as a speculator and swindler brought misery and shame in equal installments. James O'Shea has assembled the complex details of Sadleir's relatively short life from a rich range of sources. He presents in a compelling narrative the commercial and political landscapes of post-famine Ireland and England and the ultimately flawed part that Sadleir played in the intrigues of the powerful and wealthy."--BOOK JACKET.