Sam Hill: The Prince of Castle Nowhere (Signed!) [B0409]

1992 Signed PB in excellent condition. From Portland, OR author John Tuhy, a biography of Sam Hill - the eccentric millionaire who founded Maryhill, WA along the Columbia Gorge in 1907, with the intent of establishing a Quaker farming community. From the back of the book: This is the definitive biography of Sam Hill-enigmatic, eccentric millionaire, a compulsive doer and dreamer: Estranged son-in-law and associate of James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railway; Lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, world traveler, builder of great houses and of monuments to peace and war; Tireless proponent of good roads in the U.S. and Japan; Friend of Prince Albert of Belgium and Queen Marie of Rumania. He brought her to his failed town of Maryhill, Washington to dedicate his remote, half-finished chateau as a museum of art. Hill's unhappy family life, and later manic state, drove him to affairs with women and close to ruin. Now, the author has put together the pieces and sorted out the misinformation to bring to light the life of one of the most intriguing and remarkable, but little-known men of this century.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A fascinating person. The book is well worth reading if you enjoy larger-than-life people and Northwest history."; "A chatty historical biography, filled with the author's musings, rhetorical questions, and cheeky asides. Sam Hill seemed to cram several lifetimes of interests, careers, relationships, and travel into his 74 years, and his story here is organized by topic rather than told in a linear timeline. These two features-the author's habitual voice and an unconventional narrative-result in a blend of traditional biography and folksy storytelling that might be off-putting or engaging, depending on the reader. Recommended for anyone interested in Northwest/American history, railroad history, or entrepreneurial biographies."; "I enjoyed the Maryhill Museum a lot, but was mystified by the eclectic and somewhat disjointed collections on display there as well as the house itself. This book explains it all. And it answers the age old question "what the Sam Hill is going on?""