Customer Reviews

California Desperadoes: Stories of Early California Outlaws in Their Own Words

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Written in a rather amateur manner, but with loads of pictures and drawings, this book would appeal to people who are familiar with the area that these bandits roamed. One thing that really bothered me: Mr. Secrest references "Black Bart" nine times, in sentences such as "but he was no... Black Bart", or someone was rumored to have hung out with Black Bart, but never does he give you the actual story of Black Bart! When many characters are mentioned, its as if you were supposed to already know who they are. For instance: "Badly wounded in the aborted raid, Emmett admitted that his brothers had done the Alila job." Who is Emmett?? This is the first time he is mentioned, and it took me a minute to figure out that he must be one of the Dalton gang. That aside, this WAS an enjoyable book to read, and I will keep it in my library for future reference.

Chris Evans and seven other early outlaws of the old west provide first-hand experiences of holdups, shootouts, and confrontations wit the law in California Desperadoes, an outstanding collection of true stories by California desperados. Add vintage illustrations and black and white photos to the text and you have a fine piece of California history.