A Fool's Errand: A Novel of the South During Reconstruction
Language: English
Published by Independently published, 2016
- Softcover
- Used

Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 7.46
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
A Fool's Errand. By One of the Fools - After the American Civil War, Comfort Servosse, a Yankee gentleman, decides to purchase a Southern Plantation for himself and his family. But unlike other white owners, Servosse is actually interested in the well-being of his black subjects to the extent of calling the K (Ku Klux Klan) a terrorist organisation and blaming Theodore Roosevelt for the failure of Reconstruction of South Soon enough, Servosse finds himself amongst his angry white neighbours and things take a dramatic turn. Bricks Without Straw (A Sequel) - In a chilling sequel to A Fool's Errand, Albion Winegar Tourg e shows how K unleashed their terror on a group of emancipated slaves who want to start their life afresh by buying new land and starting their own businesses. Suddenly out of nowhere, Klan's terrorism begin new wave of slavery and nothing seems to stop them Albion Winegar Tourg e (1838-1905) was an American soldier, Radical Republican, lawyer, writer, politician, and diplomat. A pioneer civil rights activist, he founded the National Citizens' Rights Association, established the historically black women's college Bennett College, and litigated for the plaintiff Homer Plessy in the famous segregation case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Historian Mark Elliott credits Tourg e with introducing the metaphor of color-blind justice into legal discourse.…
Seller Inventory # CIN1519082525VG
- Title
- A Fool's Errand: A Novel of the South During Reconstruction
- Author
- Albion W Tourgee
- Publisher
- Independently published
- Publication year
- 2016
- Condition
- Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1519082525
- ISBN 13
- 9781519082527
“We tried to superimpose the civilization, the idea of the North, upon the South at a moment’s warning … It was a Fool’s Errand.”
The year is 1865 and the war between the states of North and South has ended.
Comfort Servosse, a Union officer, has decided to make his life in the South.
But is he only a fool for doing so?
Drawing upon his own experiences Albion Tourgee constructed a novel which vividly brings to life the world of the South during the Reconstruction.
“The native Southron, the 'poor white,' the carpet-bagger, the old Unioner, the freedman, the Ku-Klux, and the social, moral, and political life of the South, are all handled with uncommon power and humor, coupled with a relentless satire.” Washington (D.C.) National Republican.
Originally published anonymously it was an immediate success in the late nineteenth century, selling over 200,000 copies.
With its commentary on racial issues in the American South it continues to be essential reading for citizens of the twenty-first century as it was for those of the nineteenth.
“We have not anywhere seen an account of the troubles that beset a Northern family's residence in the South which impressed us as being more truthful, more complete, or more powerfully written, than this." Chicago Tribune.
"Its word-pictures are so realistic that one sees, hears, and feels the very presence of the individuals that crowd its pages. The night-ride of young Lily Servosse . . . . is one of the finest and most thrilling incidents that has ever been told in history or romance." San Francisco Chronicle.
"What is most remarkable about the book is the spirit of fairness that pervades it." Philadelphia Times.
"Considered as a frank and candid picture of the difficulties encountered by Northern emigrants to the South during the time of reconstruction, by a writer who honestly sets down what he believes to be the truth, and who appears to be sincerely disposed to do strict justice to all men, the book will interest a large circle of readers." N. Y. Evening Post.
Albion Tourgee was an American soldier who was wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Perryville. After the American Civil War he wrote a number of books including A Royal Gentleman, Bricks Without Straw and A Fool’s Errand which was published in 1879. He died in 1905.
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World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
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