There is no western outlaw more infamous and notorious than Jesse James. A Confederate guerilla during the Civil War, he and his brother, as the leaders of numerous gangs of the Wild West, turned to a life of crime and robbery that lasted more than a decade. Jamess life has been the subject of hundreds of books, films, and television shows, but none more vividly captures the actual life story of the legendary criminal than Frank Tripletts definitive biography.
The author, then an unknown writer, penned the book in just seven weeks, immediately following Jamess assassination. Accompanying the books publication was a letter of authorization signed by Jamess wife and mother, attesting to the authenticity of the book.
Reproduced from one of the rare first editions published, Jesse James is printed complete with dozens of original plate illustrations. An important document for historians, and a hell of a wild story, detailing every one of the robberies and acts of violence James and his gang perpetrated, Jesse James is an essential piece of Western literature. From the Civil War to the infamous circumstances surrounding his death, James is an iconic American figure and a fascinating character.
Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.