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From the Mill to Monte Carlo: The Working-Class Englishman Who Beat the Monaco Casino and Changed Gambling Forever
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
This is the story of a man who went from Yorkshire mill worker to Monte Carlo millionaire. Amongst the men ‘who broke the bank at Monte Carlo’, Joseph Hobson Jagger is unique. He is the only one known to have devised an infallible and completely legal system to defeat the odds at roulette and win a fortune. But he was not what might be expected. He wasn’t a gentleman or an aristocrat, he wasn’t a professional gambler, he was a Yorkshire textile worker who had laboured in the Victorian mills of Bradford since childhood. What led a man like this to travel nearly a thousand miles to the exclusive world of the Riviera when most people lived and died within a few miles of where they were born? The trains that took him there were still new and dangerous, he did not speak French and had never left the north of England. His motivation was strong. Joseph, his wife and four children, the youngest of whom was only two, faced a situation so grave that their only escape seemed to be his desperate gamble on the roulette tables of Monte Carlo. Today Jagger’s legacy is felt in casinos worldwide and yet he is virtually unknown. Anne Fletcher is his great-great-great niece and in this true-life detective story she uncovers how he was able to win a fortune, what happened to his millions and why Jagger should now be regarded as the real ‘man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo’.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Amberley Publishing (15 Jun. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1398103349 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1398103344 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.03 x 19.81 cm |
by DaisyChain
An eloquent and evocative telling of this incredible story of an ingenious undertaking, pieced together through pain-staking research. The uncovering of the family legend and the story itself demonstrate the value of tenacity and self-reliance – never give up!
by bucherwurm
What a cracking read – I could not put it down! Being familiar with most of the northern England places mentioned obviously provided an extra interest, but the story itself, so thoroughly researched, is wonderful. One small criticism, not of the authoress but more of the publishers: there some small errors like Brönte instead of Brontë, Hess instead of Hesse or Hessen, Laisterbridge instead of Laisteridge and others which could have been avoided. But please don’t let that put you off!
by christine roe
excellent no issues will use this seller again
by Alison Kellett
Engaging story which is also a great social history
by HAZER 54
This is a great read and thoroughly recommended. I finished it having a great respect for the tenacity of Joseph Jagger in maintaining the welfare of his family and that of his descendant, the author, in piecing together the Jagger jigsaw. I wouldn’t normally describe a non-fiction book as ‘unputdownable’ but in this instance I do.
by Andrew Romanes
if you took out all the repetition and genealogy it would have been a short essay.
by Craig
Fascinating story and the history of that time was interesting. Seemed to lose its way towards the end. It should have finished after the gentleman’s children but carries on following the generations that followed. I found that less interesting.
by Craig E
Allow yourself to be transported back to Victorian England and the birth of gambling in Monte Carlo. It is told with such vivid detail and is an outstanding setting for an enthralling rags to riches story of a working class man.
The ambitious and determined approach of the author to uncover the layers of time is integral to making this such a wonderful and absorbing read.