Baltimore: I. & M. Ottenheimer, Publishers, 1911. frontis, 182pp, [8, advts]. Pictorial wraps. Pages browned and brittle, small chips from front wrap. One of many dime novels that were issued on the James gang. Right off let's establish that this pulp outlaw book is pretty much worthless as far as historic content is concerned. Ramon Adams deals with several in his bibliography Six Guns and Saddle Leather using phrases like, "hack writer", "most unreliable", "sensational, but historically worthless", and "exaggerated sensationalism." Further, we will spare you the revisionist deconstruction of the texts as symbolic of the clash of changing cultures on the frontier and the struggle of oppressed classes blah, blah, blah. So what's left? Well, you just gotta love it as an object. The cover art is thrilling, there are equally dramatic illustrations inside, and the condition is just short of incredible. It was printed on the cheapest paper, bound with the flimsiest materials, and sold to consumers who gave little thought to its survival. This one is further distinguished because the author was brave enough to put his name to it (although Adams gets it wrong, listing it as Edgar James not James Edgar as it appears on the title page. (I don't trust people with two first names.) 6 Guns 1140. Item #3947

Price: $125.00