Biography of a Phantom : Smithsonian Books : 9781588347817 : 1588347818 : 06 Feb 2024 : The drama of In Cold Blood meets the stylings of a Coen brothers film in this long-lost manuscript from musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick, whose research on blues icon Robert Johnson's mysterious life and death became as much of a myth as the musician himself "This is a human and humane book, an insightful exploration of the biographer's craft. [...] McCormick's book makes you feel what we lost when Johnson died young." -New York Times "Reads like noir fiction. It's a detective story riddled with fatalism and ambiguity carried out by someone who, like the archetypal noir hero, isn't a detective but an ordinary guy in a dismal, often violent setting searching for what can't be found." -Wall Street Journal When blues master Robert Johnson's little-known recordings were rereleased to great fanfare in the 1960s, little was known about his life, giving rise to legends that he gained success by sell