Picture 1 of 1
Julian Rubinstein Ballad of the Whiskey Robber (Paperback)
Another great item from Rarewaves USA | Free delivery!
Condition:
More than 10 available
Shipping:
Located in: 60502, United States
Delivery:
Varies
Returns:
Payments:
Shop with confidence
Seller information
- 97.7% positive feedback
Registered as a Business Seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:235382641416
Item specifics
- Condition
- Book Title
- Ballad of the Whiskey Robber : A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
- Publication Name
- Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
- Title
- Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- ISBN-10
- 0316010731
- EAN
- 9780316010733
- ISBN
- 9780316010733
- Publisher
- Little Brown & Company
- Genre
- Biography & Autobiography, History, Political Science
- Topic
- Europe / Austria & Hungary, Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism, Criminals & Outlaws, Sports
- Release Date
- 13/09/2005
- Release Year
- 2005
- Language
- English
- Country/Region of Manufacture
- US
- Item Height
- 1in
- Item Length
- 8.2in
- Item Width
- 5.5in
- Item Weight
- 13 Oz
- Publication Year
- 2005
- Number of Pages
- 352 Pages
About this product
Product Information
DESCRIPTION: Elmore Leonard meets Franz Kafka in the wild, improbably true story of the legendary outlaw of Budapest. Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant--if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. Arrayed against him was perhaps the most incompetent team of crime investigators the Eastern Bloc had ever seen: a robbery chief who had learned how to be a detective by watching dubbed Columbo episodes; a forensics man who wore top hat and tails on the job; and a driver so inept he was known only by a Hungarian word that translates to Mound of Ass-Head. BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is the completely bizarre and hysterical story of the crime spree that made a nobody into a somebody, and told a forlorn nation that sometimes the brightest stars come from the blackest holes. Like The Professor and the Madman and The Orchid Thief, Julian Rubinsteins bizarre crime story is so odd and so wicked that it is completely irresistible.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Little Brown & Company
ISBN-10
0316010731
ISBN-13
9780316010733
eBay Product ID (ePID)
46752599
Product Key Features
Book Title
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber : A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Europe / Austria & Hungary, Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism, Criminals & Outlaws, Sports
Publication Year
2005
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, History, Political Science
Number of Pages
352 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
8.2in
Item Height
1in
Item Width
5.5in
Item Weight
13 Oz
Additional Product Features
Reviews
"A whiz-bang read, hilarious and oddly touching... Rubinstein writes in a guns-ablazing style that perfectly fits the Whiskey Robber's tale."-- Salon, "A wonderful read. Rubinstein's account of the Whiskey Robber seems straight out of Hollywood and indeed it's ideal for the big screen. It's got a rogue hero, chase sequences, even those romances. Best of all for potential producers, the actor cast as Ambrus would barely need to know how to play hockey."-- Sports Illustrated, "Rubinstein's eye for whimsical detail imbues his deftly sketched cops-and-robbers saga with a rich palpability. And he keeps the story tight and lively, despite its plot twists and complex cast of characters... One heck of a good story."-- BlackBook, "Outrageously entertaining... An essential absurdism is never far from the surface... This fast-moving story is a rip-roaring cops and robbers saga with a Mitteleuropean heart."-- San Francisco Chronicle, "Masterful... A quirky, engrossing look at the chaos of post-Cold War Hungary and the growing pains of capitalism. It is a wild ride with over-the-top gangsters, pelt smugglers and cops."-- Newark Star-Ledger, A ripper of a crime story and it's one that can stand next to any of history's great outlaw tales... The reporting is exhaustive, the pace is fast and the main character is as bizarre as any you're going to meet. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber is a fabulous read." -- Edmonton Journal, "Here, the bad guys are the gentlemen, the good guys are the bumblers, and nothing is quite what it seems, but that won't keep you from laughing out loud every couple of pages. Weirdness has never been quite so winning."-- ELLE, "A story of the sort that would make even the mostdry-mouthed journalist slobber. Sometimes sad, often hilarious and alwaysabsurd, Ambrus's tale microcosmically condenses the politico-historic odditiesof his place and era into one entertaining and tidy narrative... With a keen eyefor the ridiculous, fearlessly high-speed prose and an extraordinary wealth ofreported detail, Rubinstein conducts the affair like an unusually thoughtful carnivalbarker."-- New York Times Sunday Book Review (Editors' Choice), "Mr. Rubinstein narrates all these farcical goings-on with a sad affection peeking through, even for the dumbest and most corrupt characters. But primarily he maintains that marvelously sardonic Easter European resignation, that ironic tone of voice that always seems to shrug and say, 'So, what did you expect?'"-- Dallas Morning News, "If all the world loves a romantic thief, the world will fall head over heels for Attila Ambrus. Fast paced and exquisitely detailed."-- Outside, "An instant classic... At once sad and funny, Ballad of the Whiskey Robber , a rollicking tale of the Wild East, also has a deeply compelling political purpose." -- Canada's Globe and Mail (A Best Book of the Year pick), "Marvelous. This book will stand as a vivid memento of modern Budapest's formative years."-- The Budapest Times, "Rubinstein's chronicle is performance art, a madcap joyride alongside one of the most endearing figures in the annals of bad behavior."-- Men's Journal, "As outrageous and entertaining as any piece of fiction in recent memory, Ballad of the Whiskey Robber is a page-turner almost too fantastic to believe and too engrossing to put down."-- Columbus Dispatch, " Grade: A . An all-too real political fairy tale... Underneath all the action and intrigue that makes Ballad nothing short of a page-turner, there's a subtle commentary on corruption and capitalism... With such high stakes and the story's built-in suspense, Rubinstein's Ballad never borders on a lackluster history lesson, nor does his attention to political injustices ever interrupt the fiction-like flow of Ambrus's story. Though being resigned to a life of quiet desperation was Ambrus's greatest fear, Ballad is proof that the Whiskey Robber will remain anything but irrelevant."-- Rocky Mountain News, "It's hard to imagine what journalist Julian Rubinstein thought when he stumbled across the twisted tale of Attila Ambrus, but this fascination finds riveting realization in Ballad of the Whiskey Robber , a nonfiction account of a story that must be read to be believed... Set against a rich backdrop of hope and despair, the book is a heartrending study of a character whose bungling tells the story of a world much bigger than his own."-- The Onion, AV Club, "The pace, ingenuity and comical sense of the absurd deployed to tell the story ice hockey player and bank robber Attila Ambrus makes this book read like a novel. But Attila Ambrus is real... His extraordinary story is told here with a hint of Louis de Bernieres and a lot of panache."-- Daily Mail (UK), "A book that reads like some fantastic crime novel, chronicling the very real actions of an extraordinary man trying to survive and make a lasting name for himself in transitionary times... Ballad is a rollicking crime story, a commentary on the effects of the fall of communism on the former Easter Bloc, and a beautiful portrait of historic Budapest."-- Small Spiral Notebook, "One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. Ever. In fact it's one of the best non-fiction books I will ever read. It's that good."-- Harvard Bookstore Staff Pick, "The antagonistic protagonist of Julian Rubinstein's picaresque romp is a real person who defies belief... Rubinstein rides the momentum in appropriately riotous fashion, but he wisely never lets his vivid style overshadow a tale that burns up the pages on its own momentum. Nor does he succumb to sentimentality when exploring the tale's pathos--and believe it or not, there's as much of that as there is burlesque. A memorable tragicomedy." -- Boston Globe, "Never was there a more entertaining case history of the fall of communism... Wholly enjoyable."-- Kirkus Reviews, "Truth is still stranger than fiction... This is a Hollywood film waiting to be made, a crazy outlaw caper from the Wild, Wild East ."-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Julian Rubinstein has found what every writer craves: a larger-than-life character whose adventures veer from rollicking to comical to heartbreaking... Ambrus's arc and all of its attendant absurdity tends to parallel that of Eastern Europe itself: the desperation, the sense of opportunity after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Wild West euphoria, the deep-seated corruption, and finally, the brutal hangover after the long bender. Studs Terkel eat your heart out."-- Boldtype, "Readers who normally shun nonfiction will embrace the story for the marvelous storytelling and terrific characters... In short, Rubinstein is a terrific storyteller."-- Boulder Daily Camera, "Rubinstein has a knack for vividly portraying his stranger-than-fiction characters... By turns hilarious and incredible, this stuff just can't be made up."-- Maxim, "A beautifully crafted tale... In Rubinstein's deft hands, Attila becomes a great tragicomic character." -- Denver Post (Best Books of the Year Pick)
Dewey Decimal
364.15/52/092 B
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
22
Illustrated
Yes
Item description from the seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:235382641416
Shipping and handling
Item does not ship to United States
Item location:
60502, United States
Ships to:
Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Croatia, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Western Samoa, Worldwide, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Excludes:
Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Guadeloupe, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Laos, Libya, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Reunion, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yemen
| Handling time |
|---|
| Will usually ship within 6 business days of receiving cleared payment. |
| Taxes |
|---|
| Taxes may be applicable at checkout. Learn moreLearn more about paying tax on eBay purchases |
Sales tax for an item #235382641416
Sales tax for an item #235382641416
Seller collects sales tax for items shipped to the following provinces:
| Province | Sales Tax Rate |
|---|
Return policy
| After receiving the item, contact seller within |
|---|
| 30 days after the buyer receives it |
The buyer is responsible for return shipping costs.
Payment details
Payment methods
Popular categories from this store
Seller feedback (62,876)
c***i (257)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
Verified purchase
Fantastic seller! Great communication, fast delivery, secure packaging, item as described. Highly recommend!
t***r (262)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Multiple-repeat customer. As always, CD as described, for a good price, well packed and quickly shipped. Highly recommend.
r***3 (197)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past year
Verified purchase
Thank you to the seller for excellent ebay retail service in each and every way. Prompt response to sale and dispatch of the item described. Package received on time which was professionally packaged. Thanks .