History of My Own Times; Or, the Life and Adventures of William Otter, Sen., Comprising a Series of Events, and Musical Incidents Altogether Original (Documents in American Social History) - Softcover

"William Otter's History of My Own Time is a riveting, disturbing window into the world of rural artisans in the early republic. Paul Stott's thorough, thoughtful, and sometimes brilliant editing and commentary greatly enhance the text. Local historians, students, and academics will love it and hate it all at once, while the old families of Frederick County will either cringe to find their ancestors in league with Otter or sigh with relief at their absence from the History." * Maryland Historical Magazine * "This edition of Otter's autobiography is a welcome addition to the scant volume of literature dealing with the rural laboring men of the early national period. Otter's autobiography also offers an interesting commentary on the nature of nineteenth century American character, highlighting its admirable as well as its contemptible qualities. For these reasons, and many others, this work deserves recognition and further discussion by scholars and students of American history alike." * The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biographies * "Otter's life story opens doors into our understanding of northern Jacksonian, including their acceptance of Indian removal, and their lack of concern over slavery. This is a disturbing but significant publication." * Journal of the Early Republic *

Big Bill Otter was one member of the early American working class not preoccupied with republican principles or the heritage of the Revolution. Big Bill Otter-apprentice, journeyman, master plasterer-was a thug. Otter's autobiography, first published in 1835, provides a rare and fascinating counterpoint to romantic notions of virtuous, respectable craftsmen in the early republic. His Life and Adventures offer an inside account of the brawling racism common in the early nineteenth century and sharply detail the rowdy male subculture of the times. Born in England and conscripted into the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars, Otter jumped ship and came to New York City in 1801. He apprenticed as a plasterer and joined an urban gang; later he was a master plasterer, tavernkeeper, slavecatcher, "Jackson man," bigot, town bully, notorious practical joker, borderline psychopath, mayoral candidate, and all-round "jolly fellow." History of My Own Times is one of the few first-person accounts of a rural artisan in pre-genteel America. The book depicts the ambiguities of race relations in the early nineteenth century, sheds light on its definition of manhood, and conveys a sense of humor very different from today's. Richard B. Stott's introduction an,d commentary place Otter in the context of his times and explore the significance of his autobiography in understanding the social and cultural history of the early American republic.