Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts

Rubinstein, Julian

ISBN 10: 0316071676 / ISBN 13: 9780316071673

Published by Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2004

About this Item

Glued binding. Paper over boards. ix, [3], 319, [5] p. Illustrations. Maps. Cast of Characters. From Wikipedia: "Julian Rubinstein (b. 1968) is an award-winning journalist, author, producer and adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University. Rubinstein was born in the Bronx and grew up in Denver. His book Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, published in 2004, is about the Hungarian bank robber and folk hero Attila Ambrus. The book won Borders' 2004 "Original Voices" Non-fiction Book Prize and was a finalist for the 2005 Edgar Allan Poe Award and the 2005 Anthony Award. Warner Bros. and Johnny Depp optioned the book for a film. Rubinstein has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, Details, Travel + Leisure, Salon, Outside and other publications. His work has been selected for the Best American Crime Writing anthology, The Best American Essays, and twice by The Best American Sports Writing." Very good in very good dust jacket. Signed by author. Inscription on T-p. Seller Inventory # 69661

Bibliographic Details

Title: Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story ...

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, New York

Publication Date: 2004

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Ward, Jeffrey (Map)

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: First edition. First printing [stated].

About this title

Synopsis:

Follows the misadventures of Budapest bank robber Attila Ambrus, who struggled in his pursuit of women and a career as an untalented hockey goaltender before taking up crime, and profiles the investigators assigned to his case.

From the Inside Flap:

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Attila Ambrus, the Robin Hood of Eastern Europe. He’s the one-time pelt smugger, goalkeeper (possibly the worst in the history of professional hockey), pen salesman, Zamboni driver, grave digger, church painter, roulette addict, building superintendent, whiskey drinker, and native of Transylvania who’s decided that the best thing to do with his time is to rob as many banks as possible.

His rival: Lajos Varju, the Inspector Clouseau of the Iron Curtain, whose knowledge of police work comes from Hungarian-dubbed episodes of "Colombo." His deputy is nicknamed "Mound of Asshead" due to his propensity for crashing police cars. His forensics expert, known as "Dance Instructor" for his lucrative side career teaching ballet, wears top hat and tails on the job.

Welcome to Julian Rubinstein’s uproariously funny and unforgettable account of crime in the heart of the new Europe. With a cast of characters that includes car wash owners, exotic dancers, drunk Army generals, cocaine-snorting Hungarian rappers, the Johnnie Cochrane of Budapest, and a hockey team that seems to spend as much time breaking the law as they do practicing, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER gives us the most charming outlaw-hero since the Sundance Kid—and the Sundance Kid didn’t play hockey.

As the Eastern Bloc slips off its communist skin and replaces it with leopard-skin hot pants, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is here to screw in the pink lightbulbs. Part UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, part PINK PANTHER, and part SLAP SHOT, Julian Rubinstein’s tale is a spectacular literary debut—and a story so outrageous that it could only be true.