The Old West bred some mighty tough men! Unfortunately, the general public knows little or nothing about the good ones! Billy the Kid, the Daltons, Jesse James, Sam Bass, the Youngsters, Wesley Hardin and many more are familiar as “heroes” to the children and their parents of today. So, even more unfortunately are many so-called “lawmen” who were actually nothing but hired killers, far more crooked than most of the men they eliminated! Heck Thomas deserves to be known in a way that most of the current TV “Marshals” never deserved. Fighter, yes, and killer at times, law officer of some of the toughest areas in the Southwest (such as the Cherokee Strip and other outlaw-ridden parts of Oklahoma), he never took a bribe, was a model family man, and lived to a magnificent old age, still “in hardness,” honoured as one of the last genuine heroes of the frontier by all who knew him. No one, outlaw or politician, ever made him back down and his record of arrests and captures still stands as one of the most noteworthy of any peace officer anywhere. To a public which always seeks true heroism and is proud of the iron men who built America, this man, Heck Thomas, must stand forever as the best type of man of the West, low-voiced, courteous, law-abiding, and very, very dangerous. Heck Thomas made his lifework keeping the law, and emerges from the shadowy past to blazing life as an authentic hero of the Old Frontier.

In The Story of Oklahoma, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves appears as the "most feared U.S. marshal in the Indian country." That Reeves was also an African American who had spent his early life enslaved in Arkansas and Texas made his accomplishments all the more remarkable. Black Gun, Silver Star sifts through fact and legend to discover the truth about one of the most outstanding peace officers in late nineteenth-century America--and perhaps the greatest lawman of the Wild West era. Bucking the odds ("I'm sorry, we didn't keep Black people's history," a clerk at one of Oklahoma's local historical societies answered one query), Art T. Burton traces Reeves from his days of slavery to his Civil War soldiering to his career as a deputy U.S. marshal out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, when he worked under "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker. Fluent in Creek and other regional Native languages, physically powerful, skilled with firearms, and a master of disguise, Reeves was exceptionally adept at apprehending fugitives and outlaws and his exploits were legendary in Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this new edition Burton traces Reeves's presence in the national media of his day as well as his growing modern presence in popular media such as television, movies, comics, and video games.

Heck Thomas, Chris Masden and Bill Tilghman, the Three Guardsmen and E. D. Nix have been considered some of the best lawmen of the Old West. Heck Thomas came closest to the legend but he had a reputation of shooting first and serving papers on the corpse. Chris Masden's reputation as a "Trigger Marshal" is largely undeserved and Chris spent considerable time in prison himself. Bill Tilghman ran saloons and bawdy houses and did as much to break the law as he ever did to enforce it. The true story of Tilghman's death is completely at odds with what previous biographers have said. E. D. Nix billed himself as the "Fighting Marshal" and took a lot of credit for wiping out several gangs of outlaws in Oklahoma. What Nix did really best was cook the books. When his expenses for the U. S. Marshal's office rose from $25,000 to $218,000 per quarter federal inspectors were sent to examine the books. Nix was soon relieved for the public good. Samuelson tears away the veils of myth, legend and outright lies that have surrounded these four early Oklahoma lawmen. The truth is far more interesting than the legends. A must have book for anyone interested in outlaw-lawmen history. Shooting Star Press, 8962 Canberra Dr., Sacramento, CA. 95826. Phone: 916-363-9175.

nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth. Western historian Robert K. DeArment has tracked down the facts of the mysterious Canton's early life and misdeeds in Texas; his participation in the Johnson County War as an agent of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association; his pursuit of the Daltons, Bill Doolin, and other outlaws in Oklahoma Territory; his experiences as a peace officer and gold prospector in Alaska; his career as a bounty hunter; and his.

#1 New York Times bestseller “An epic and a legend” —Washington Post “Quite simply, an American masterpiece.” —Boston Globe “The dialogue in True Grit is exquisite.” —David Mamet “Charles Portis had a wonderful talent—original, quirky, exciting.” —Larry McMurtry Charles Portis has long been acclaimed as one of America’s most enduring and incomparable literary voices, and his novels have left an indelible mark on the American canon. True Grit, his most famous novel, was first published in 1968, and has garnered critical acclaim as well as enthusiastic praise from countless passionate fans for more than fifty years. This story of danger and adventure in the old west became the basis for two award-winning films, the first starring John Wayne, in his only Oscar-winning role, as Marshall Rooster Cogburn, and the widely praised remake by the Coen brothers, starring Jeff Bridges. True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross, who is just fourteen when the coward Tom Chaney shoots her father in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robs him of his life, his horse, and $150 cash. Filled with an unwavering urge to avenge her father’s blood, Mattie finds and, after some tenacious finagling, enlists one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available US Marshal, as her partner in pursuit, and they head off into Indian Territory after the killer. True Grit is essential reading. Not just a classic Western, but an undeniable classic of American literature as eccentric, cool, funny, and unflinching as Mattie Ross herself. For fans of either the John Wayne classic or the more recent Coen brothers’ movie, it’s a chance to relive the story of Mattie and Rooster and experience their story as it was originally told. For fans of taut, funny storytelling, it will be a joy to experience in its original form. This edition includes an afterword by bestselling author Donna Tartt (The Secret History and The Goldfinch) and a reading group guide.