For those interested in the seedier aspects of Joplin’s past, they might be interested in the newly released biography of Alvin Clarence Thomas, better known as “Titanic Thompson.” Thompson, a native of nearby Rogers, Arkansas, spent some time in Joplin and had a reputation for literally betting on nearly anything. It was in Joplin that Thompson purportedly earned the nickname Titanic, which came from “sinking” anyone he came across. The new book, Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything, by Kevin Cook, a former editor of Sports Illustrated, published by W. W. & Norton Company, offers 284 pages on the life of the hustler.
Historic Joplin
The History of Joplin
