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Ten Days in a Mad-House Paperback – January 17, 2014

by Nellie Bly (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 5,178 ratings
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Nellie Bly was an American reporter best known for a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days. Bly also undertook an assignment to fake insanity in order to be placed in an asylum. Bly wrote popular accounts of both experiences.
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  1. Print length
    54 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 17, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.12 x 9.02 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1495229912
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1495229916
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 17, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 54 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1495229912
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1495229916
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.04 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.12 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 5,178 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Nellie Bly

    Nellie Bly

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    Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist. She was also a writer, industrialist, inventor, and a charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by H. J. Myers, photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Brad Ricca

    Brad Ricca

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    I've written True Raiders (St. Martin's, 2021), Olive the Lionheart (St. Martin's, 2020), the Edgar Award-nominated Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (St. Martin’s, 2017), and Super Boys (St. Martin’s, 2013), the winner of the Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction. I wrote a graphic novel adaptation of Nellie Bly's Ten Days in a Mad-house illustrated by Courtney Sieh (Gallery 13, 2022) that was nominated for an Eisner Award and named a Best Graphic Novel for Adults by the New York Public Library. I won the St. Lawrence Book Award for American Mastodon (Black Lawrence Press, 2011) and also made a movie, Last Son, that won a 2010 Silver Ace Award at the Las Vegas Film Festival. I've written for The Washington Post, The Beat, Belt, Book Riot, Narratively, History Extra, and the official Star Wars website. I've been in documentaries on the History Channel, AMC, and have been a guest on Criminal, All Things Considered, BBC radio, and Innovation Hub, among others. I was born in a suburb of Cleveland and sometimes teach at Case Western Reserve University, where I earned a Ph.D. in English. I now live in Shaker Heights (still Cleveland) with Caroline and our three boys.

    For more, visit brad-ricca.com

    See more on the author's page
  3. Common Classics Dyslexia-Friendly

    Common Classics Dyslexia-Friendly

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    Common Classics aims to make classic literature accessible for all readers.

    Common Classics Dyslexia Friendly books update your favorite classic titles with easy-to-read dyslexia-friendly OpenDyslexic font (11 point). Some titles may also be available in large print dyslexia-friendly font (16 point).

    Dyslexia-friendly fonts are specifically designed to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. Unique letter shapes, heavy weighted bottoms, and wider letter spacing may help some symptoms of dyslexia.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
5,178 global ratings
Unfortunate damage but…amazing service!
5 Stars
Unfortunate damage but…amazing service!
Although it does not make it unreadable, it does make it an eyesore on my book shelf. I pride myself in the careful storage of my beloved books and this will be a book I cannot display. I know it sounds petty but when I buy something new I expect it to arrive in “like new” condition.Update: I had contacted Amazon about the condition of the book. They told me to keep it and they would refund my money. Today I went to the PO to get my mail and lo and behold…A NEW BOOK!!! Beautiful condition! I am so very surprised and grateful they replaced the book! Trusting me to be telling the truth spoke volumes and making up for their oversight. Just when I start to question the integrity of humanity, God humbles me. Thank you Amazon for making this issue a pleasant experience! I changed my star rating to a 5!! Thank you!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Ivan Friant
5.0 out of 5 stars And I picked a great one! As it says in my bio
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018
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About time I read a non-fiction book! And I picked a great one! As it says in my bio, I LOVE anything about asylums, mad-houses, or psychiatric hospitals. For some reason, the historian in me geeks out and the little seen horror freak comes out. Don’t ask me why, I’ve tried to explain it, but I can’t, I just love them. In These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, her main character, Jo Montfort, looks up to Nellie Bly as a journalist and a woman who works for change. That intrigued me, so I found Bly’s account and read it in 24 hours. It was inspiring, maddening, and heart breaking all at once. Nellie actually faked insanity to be committed to the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum. That may sound romantic to the rest of us, but during 1887, it was a nightmare. Her assignment was to give an accurate account of the plight of the insane from beginning to end. The thing that annoyed me the most was the commitment process. She saw a couple of doctors who asked her a short list of questions and then declared her a hopeless case of insanity. Though thankfully, they admitted that her pulse and heartbeat didn’t evidence insanity . . . yes that was indeed sarcasm. Even at Bellevue Hospital, the conditions were primitive, at best. No heat, no extra clothing. The asylum on Blackwell’s Island was even worse. The food was minimum and mostly spoiled. The nurses beat and bullied the patients. But the most surprising thing to me, was the daily activities of the patients. From 6 AM-8 PM, they sat on hard benches, not allowed to talk, to move, to slouch. 14 hours of sitting straight and quiet was their main “treatment”. Anyone would be insane after a couple days of that! Fortunately, Nellie’s story incited a slew of changes in the treatment of the insane in New York State. “The committee of appropriation provides $1,000,000 more than was ever before given, for the benefit of the insane.” So thankfully the most basic of problems were addressed with the publication of this story. But modern day mental health still has way too many problems. My husband is a Physician Assistant at the Emergency Department so he sees his fair share of insane patients coming through. I always press him about the process that each patient and doctor and policeman have to go through to get someone committed to a psych ward. Sometimes it’s as simple as someone trying to commit suicide or even admitting that they want to. But those people usually only stay for a night. They are then released after consulting psychiatrist. There are other more serious cases that have to go through the court system. As long as one doctor signs off on a commitment order, that patient can be committed to a short term psychiatric facility. When I asked about any long term facilities, Ivan informed me that there are none. The modern mental health system is dependent on pharmaceuticals. When I asked about those patients who won’t take their medication or those for whom medication doesn’t help, he just shrugged. We’ve discussed mental health many times and he always shows such frustration for the current process. People can still be committed by family members who just can’t be bothered to care for their loved ones or are trying to take advantage of them. There are still people walking the streets who legitimately belong under 24 hour psychiatric supervision. And there are no longer any long term facilities available for those who need them. Sadly, there are still too many changes that need to be made and problems to be fixed. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone in the mental health system and to most medical professionals. Anyone who enjoys history would also enjoy this book.
27 people found this helpful
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just a reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting slice of a forgotten time
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2022
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Nellie Bly was a woman ahead of her time. A female "muckraker." Investigative reporters (good ones) were few during the Gilded Age, and female ones were all but unheard of. But Bly was the exception. She took on assignments that most men would have refused.
In this case, she had herself committed to one of the worst asylums, New York's infamous Blackwell Island, in order to ferret out the truth about how the facility was run. At the time, any person, mostly women, could be committed for virtually no reason other than the say-so of whomever filed the commitment petition. And confinement was usually open-ended. Women were judged insane simply because they argued with others too often or "looked insane." And these women would be housed with the truly insane or dangerous.
The only drawback to this work ... and it's very minor ... is the writing style. It can get wordy. But that is a very minor issue as that was simply the style of the time. Aside from that, it's an excellent glimpse into another age.
And in addition to her work on the asylum, this book also contains her investigative work on other social issues of the time.
This work is an excellent companion piece to "Damnation Island."
11 people found this helpful
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BARBARA DONELSON
5.0 out of 5 stars how a female journalist made a difference
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
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Loved the factual recording of what she did. What is very interesting is you can discern the time period it was written in my noting the gender presentations. It is a quick read and i enjoyed it.
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contrariwise
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read but a bit dated
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2011
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This is an expose' of the conditions within a women's lunatic asylum in the late 1800's, written by Nellie Bly, a journalist who feigned insanity in order to be committed.

As a historical document, it provides first-hand information about the conditions of mental health facilities in the late 19th century. Although considered graphic in its time, I think Nellie toned down some of her experiences so as not to offend the sensibilities of her Victorian readers. The language is wonderfully quaint and her perspectives of society and women in general are, of course, dated. The writing jumps around, especially in the 2nd half, and it seems to want an editor.

If this were a modern expose', I would have expected more details. Thus, I was left wanting to hear more about the aftermath of her revelations, which was described only briefly. I also wanted more follow-up regarding the outcomes of the poor inmates that she befriended, many of whom were "lost" and could not subsequently be found in the system. In addition, it was frustrating that the staff were not made accountable for their neglect of or their deplorable actions toward the inmates - something that would (hopefully) not be tolerated today.

Still, this is a wonderful piece of American history.

Comments about the Kindle edition:
The kindle book was well formatted. It had a few typos especially toward the end of the book. I would recommend this edition over another one available on Amazon ( Ten Days in a Mad-House - Under Cover ), which had numerous odd formatting issues, including boxes with question marks randomly inserted in the text.
9 people found this helpful
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MMacGregor
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
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I read this book with my 8th graders and they loved it.
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Nicole Ritchey
5.0 out of 5 stars The Facts
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
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Great gift for a college student who needs real facts on history. This is a quick read!
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Jane Hinrichs
4.0 out of 5 stars Important for mental institution history
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023
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I have always wanted to read this book. It is easy to read. There are quite a few typos. It gives the real history of what mental institutions used to be, and I sure hope it has gotten better. This is part of all of our histories, our country's history.
One person found this helpful
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Danielle Heather
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
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Quick read. It was interesting to read about the various patients and how they were treated. I found myself worrying how Nellie would get herself out of the asylum. Glad I read the book... Not disappointed
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Ben
4.0 out of 5 stars Muy interesante
Reviewed in Mexico on December 16, 2022
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Ameno
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Susan
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2022
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Good read before bed

Makes you fall asleep easier and you can visual this stuff happening in the book. Cheers
One person found this helpful
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Anita
5.0 out of 5 stars Adoro …
Reviewed in Italy on October 21, 2022
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Una grande Donna con la D maiuscola. Adoro lei e adoro questo libro!!! Consigliato!!!!
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André Rezende
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I expected
Reviewed in Brazil on October 3, 2020
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Thank you for sending me this original book. I really appreciate that. Regarding from BRAZIL!
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Kirsten Bett
5.0 out of 5 stars Such courage
Reviewed in Germany on November 14, 2021
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I loved the bravery of this journalist so long ago to get herself admitted into a psychiatric hospital. I admire what doing so achieved. The descriptions are horrendous and makes me happy that some things definitely have changed for the better!
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