MovieChat Forums > Death Hunt (1981) Discussion > Best book to read on the subject?

Best book to read on the subject?

posted 17 years ago by SeanJoyce
2 replies | jump to latest

The story of the reclusive Albert Johnson and the legendary chase that ensued through the Canadian wilderness is one of the fascinating real-life tales that is all but forgotten nowadays. In its day, it was a maelstrom of media circus activity and written publications.

There are several books dedicated to the chase itself and prior events that led up to it. It appears to me that Ruby Wiebe's "The Mad Trapper" and Dick North's "The Mad Trapper of Rat River" are the two most sought-out and authoritative works on the ordeal.

Can anybody with enough knowlege on the topic point me in the right direction as far as reading is concerned, and which of the above is superior? And if there is a better acount I'm unaware of, please make mention.

Kudos for your help, and cheers.

"It's covered ya two-bit redneck peckerwood."~Strother Martin, The Wild Bunch

[–] Squonkamatic 17 years ago

Those are the only two I had been aware of until now. There is a new book on the case that attempts to establish Johnson's identity:

http://wassigvaldthemadtrapper.com/

and a Wikipedia page on Johnson makes reference to a new documentary that is being made including some forensic examination of his remains:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Johnson_%28criminal%29

[–] oso_bear71 15 years ago

Thomas Kelley wrote a book on the subject that is universally criticized. Stay away from that title.

North has written numerous non fiction titles on the subject, many of which have been conglomerated together in the 2005 Lyons Press edition of the Mad Trapper of Rat River.

York's work is a piece of fiction and reads like a novel. It's not an investigative piece.

DNA evidence has apparently negated both North and Fremmerlid's attempt to identify who Albert Johnson really was. After having read North's book, it was difficult not to believe that John Johnson of North Dakota is Albert Johnson. I was very surprised to hear that a DNA match was not made.

Rudy Wiebe, The Mad Trapper, 1980, Jackpine House Ltd., 186 pages.

Thomas York, Trapper, 1981, Avon Books, 476 pages.

The Death of Albert Johnson Mad Trapper of Rat River, 1986, Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 94 pages.

Dick North, The Mad Trapper of Rat River, 2003, The Lyons Press, 338 pages.

Hélèna Katz, The Mad Trapper, 2004, Altitude Publishing Canada Ltd., 133 pages.

Dick North, The Man Who Didn't Fit In, 2005, The Lyons Press, 259 pages.

Mark Fremmerlid, What Became of Sigvald Anyway? Was He The Mad Trapper of Rat River? 66 pages.