Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester Heiress to the Rifle Fortune

Biographies & Memoirs

Ignoffo, Mary Jo

Community & Culture

University of Missouri

The first full-length biography of Sarah Winchester, the subject of the movie Winchester starring Helen Mirren. Since her death in 1922, Sarah Winchester has been perceived as a mysterious, haunted figure. After inheriting a vast fortune upon the death of her husband in 1881, Sarah purchased a simple farmhouse in San José, California. She began building additions to the house and continued construction on it for the next twenty years. A hostile press cast Sarah as the conscience of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company—a widow shouldering responsibility for the many deaths caused by the rifle that brought her riches. She was accused of being a ghost-obsessed spiritualist, and to this day it is largely believed that the extensive construction she executed on her San José house was done to appease the ghouls around her. But was she really as guilt-ridden and superstitious as history remembers her? When Winchester’s home was purchased after her death, it was transformed into a tourist attraction. The bizarre, sprawling mansion and the enigmatic nature of Winchester’s life were exaggerated by the new owners to generate publicity for their business. But as the mansion has become more widely known, the person of Winchester has receded from reality, and she is only remembered for squandering her riches to ward off disturbed spirits. Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune demystifies the life of this unique American. In the first full-length biography of Winchester, author and historian Mary Jo Ignoffo unearths the truth about this notorious eccentric, revealing that she was not a maddened spiritualist driven by remorse but an intelligent, articulate woman who sought to protect her private life amidst the chaos of her public existence. The author takes readers through Winchester’s several homes, explores her private life, and, by excerpting from personal correspondence, gives the heiress a voice for the first time since her death. Ignoffo’s research reveals that Winchester’s true financial priority was not dissipating her fortune on the mansion in San José but investing it for a philanthropic legacy. For too long Sarah Winchester has existed as a ghost herself—a woman whose existence lies somewhere between the facts of her life and a set of sensationalized recollections of who she may have been. Captive of the Labyrinth finally puts to rest the myths about this remarkable woman, and, in the process, uncovers the legacy she intended to leave behind.

Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune

Captive of the Labyrinth is reissued here to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of rifle heiress Sarah L. Winchester in 1922. After inheriting a vast fortune upon the death of her husband in 1881, Winchester purchased a simple farmhouse in San José, California. She built additions to the house and continued construction for the next twenty years. When neighbors and the local press could not imagine her motivations, they invented fanciful ones of their own. She was accused of being a ghost-obsessed spiritualist, and to this day it is largely believed that the extensive construction she executed on her San José house was done to thwart death and appease the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle.\nAuthor and historian Mary Jo Ignoffo’s definitive biography unearths the truth about this reclusive eccentric, revealing that she was not a maddened spiritualist driven by remorse but an intelligent, articulate woman who sought to protect her private life amidst the chaos of her public existence and the social mores of the time. The author takes readers through Winchester’s several homes, explores her private life, and, by excerpting from personal correspondence, one learns the widow’s true priority was not dissipating her fortune on the mansion in San José but endowing a hospital to eradicate a dread disease.\nSarah Winchester has been exploited for profit for over a century, but Captive of the Labyrinth finally puts to rest the myths about this American heiress, and, in the process, uncovers her true legacies.

Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune, Revised and Updated Edition

Sunnyvale, California - In 1750 the land lay virtually untouched by Western civilization. A mere two hundred years later, a technological revolution had its beginning here. This book tells the story of Sunnyvale and its people from its earliest days through the emergence of the fruit industry to the birth of the high-technology enclave, the heart of today's Silicon Valley.

Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of the Silicon Valley (Local History Studies : Vol 35)

History

Americas

California History Center

Santa Clara Sagas (Local History Studies)

The late Austen Warburton, an attorney and history buff, wrote a series of historical articles about families in Santa Clara's history which appreared in the "Santa Clara American" during the 1970's and 1980's. They have been compiled here along with over 90 photographs. Historical essays about the city of Santa Clara, added by the editor complement the family sagas.

Warburton, Austen D.

Southern Center Intl Studies

The late Austen Warburton, an attorney and history buff, wrote a series of historical articles about families in Santa Clara's history which appreared in the "Santa Clara American" during the 1970's and 1980's.  They have been compiled here along with over 90 photographs.  Historical essays about the city of Santa Clara, added by the editor complement the family sagas.

Milestones: A History of Mountain View, California (Local History Studies, V. 39)

Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include companion materials, may have some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, may not include CDs or access codes. 100% money back guarantee.

A Meeting of the Minds: A Retrospective of the to Kalon Club of San Jose, California, 1903-2003

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

A firsthand account of the El Salvador martyrdoms and the process of resettling in the United States by Lucia Cerna, a housekeeper at the UCA, through transcribed interviews; also an academic and politically adept reading of El Salvador's history and the vagaries of the American immigration system by a local scholar and professor.

La Verdad: A Witness to the Salvadoran Martyrs

Cerna, Lucia

World

Orbis Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ignoffo, Mary Jo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ignoffo, Mary Jo

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ignoffo, Mary Jo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester Heiress to the Rifle Fortune

Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune

Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune, Revised and Updated Edition

Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of the Silicon Valley (Local History Studies : Vol 35)

Santa Clara Sagas (Local History Studies)

Santa Clara Sagas (Local History Studies)

Milestones: A History of Mountain View, California (Local History Studies, V. 39)

Milestones: A History of Mountain View, California (Local History Studies, V. 39)

A Meeting of the Minds: A Retrospective of the to Kalon Club of San Jose, California, 1903-2003

La Verdad: A Witness to the Salvadoran Martyrs