4.8 • 951 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2025
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 109 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Boston Athenaeum in search of a rare book — the 1837 memoirs and deathbed confession of thief and highwayman James Allen, alias George Walton (among others). Allen’s dying wish was to have one copy of the book bound in leather made from the skin of his own back. That one copy is embossed with the Latin: Hic Liber Waltonis Cute Compactus Est. — This book is bound in the skin of Walton. This episode first aired April 29, 2021
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0:00.0 | Welcome, legendary listeners. |
0:01.9 | Thanks for tuning in to From the Vault, a second look at some of our classic episodes. |
0:06.4 | Look for a new episode every week. |
0:08.0 | Now, can you go back and listen on your own at our New Englandledges.com? |
0:11.8 | You bet. |
0:12.4 | But you won't get the added bonus of an after-the-legion segment featuring new commentary about that episode from your old pal's Jeff and Ray. |
0:20.6 | So let's open up the New England Legends Vault and revisit another legendary episode. |
0:27.6 | Hey kids, welcome to the Vault. We are here in the Vault with a very rare book, one of a kind, you might say. It's a Boston book bound in human skin. |
0:38.2 | First aired April 29th, 2021. Enjoy. |
0:42.2 | So, Jeff, what brings us to the heart of Boston today? |
0:45.6 | We're looking for a book, Ray. |
0:48.0 | Then I guess it makes sense to be standing in front of the Boston Athenium right here on Beacon Street. |
0:52.2 | Well, a library is a good place to look for a book. |
0:55.5 | Let's go inside. |
0:57.7 | All right. |
0:58.2 | Should we browse the fiction section, nonfiction section? |
1:01.7 | Where do we start? |
1:02.8 | This one is going to be found in their rare book collection. |
1:06.1 | Now, the book we're looking for has a long and clunky official title. |
1:09.8 | It's called The Narrative of the Life of |
1:12.2 | James Allen, alias George Walton, alias Jonas Pierce, alias James H. York, alias Burley Grove, |
1:19.7 | the Highwayman. That is a long title. So what makes this book so special? Well, first, |
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