The King of Quacks
by C. V. Wooster
Reader answers for The King of Quacks
What it's about
The King of Quacks is the true story of Curtis Howe Springer, who in 1944 drove into the eastern Mojave Desert, claimed twelve thousand acres of federal land, and built a health resort he named Zzyzx — the last word in the English language alphabetically. For three decades he broadcast miracle cures on 221 radio stations, sold sodium bicarbonate as medicine, and welcomed thousands of guests to his desert kingdom. When the federal marshals finally came in 1974, they found something no one expected: an endangered fish living in his artificial lake that would save the entire site from demolition. Part con-man biography, part Route 66 history, part meditation on American medical desperation — The King of Quacks is about what happens when charisma meets the desert.
Who it's for
The catalog lists The King of Quacks as Historical Narrative by C. V. Wooster.
Subjects listed on the book page: Zzyzx, Mojave Desert, Route 66, quackery, con artist, American Southwest, radio history, nonfiction, narrative history, desert culture.
The catalog lists this title as coming soon.
Similar books
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Reading order and age notes
The King of Quacks is not listed as part of a numbered series on this site.
The catalog does not list a separate age rating for this title.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Curtis Howe Springer?
A self-proclaimed minister and health guru who built a sixty-room resort called Zzyzx on twelve thousand acres of federal land in the Mojave Desert, broadcasting miracle cures on hundreds of radio stations for thirty years before being evicted in 1974.
What is Zzyzx?
Zzyzx is a real place off Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Springer named it to be the last word in the English alphabet. Today it is the California State University Desert Studies Center.
Is this a Route 66 book?
Zzyzx sits in the Mojave Desert corridor that includes Route 66 and I-15. The book explores mid-century desert culture, roadside Americana, and the specific vulnerabilities of travelers seeking health cures.
When does The King of Quacks release?
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