Overview

As seen on Netflix's Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian John Boessenecker separates fact from fiction in the first new biography in decades of Black Bart, the Wild West's most mysterious gentleman bandit. Black Bart is widely regarded today as not only the most notorious stage robber of the Old West but also the best behaved. Over his lifetime, Black Bart held up at least twenty-nine stagecoaches in California and Oregon with mild, polite commands, stealing from Wells Fargo and the US mail but never robbing a passenger. Such behavior earned him the title of a true ""gentleman bandit."" His real name was Charles E. Boles, and in the public eye, Charles lived quietly as a boulevardier in San Francisco, the wealthiest and most exciting city in the American West. Boles was an educated man who traveled among respectable crowds. Because he did not drink, fight or consort with prostitutes, his true calling as America's greatest stage robber was never suspected until his final capture in 1883. Sheriffs searched and struggled for years to find him, and newspaper editors had a field day reporting his exploits. Legends and rumors trailed his name until his mysterious death, and his ultimate fate remains one of the greatest mysteries of the Old West. Now historian John Boessenecker sheds new light on Black Bart's beginnings, reputation and exploits, bringing to life the glittering story of the mysterious stage robber who doubled as a rich, genteel socialite in the golden era of the Wild West.

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9781335449429

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Reviews

"""Pure literary gold: Boessenecker delivers the most in-depth and thought-provoking biography of the iconic and over-fictionalized Western character ever published. He has now set the standard on Black Bart research, which may never be equaled again.""--True West ""New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian John Boessenecker separates fact from fiction in the first new biography in decades of the Wild West's most mysterious gentleman bandit: Black Bart.""-Ledger Dispatch ""From John Boessenecker's research and the outstanding book resulting from it we finally understand the factors that made Boles/Bart so successful... Gentleman Bandit sets the bar very high for Old West Law and Order biographies. It deserves a place of honor on every Westerner's bookshelf.""--Branding Iron ""This book arcs across the country and will appeal to Civil War buffs as well as to Old West fans.""--Daily Jefferson County Union ""An entertaining, well-researched foray into the life of a well-known but legend-layered outlaw. A writer with a fascination for the storied crimes of the Wild West turns to the stagecoach robber of history and lore.""-Kirkus ""[A] candid biography of a nineteenth-century desperado who flustered law enforcement and mystified the public with his politeness. The Wild West comes to life in vivid detail as Boessenecker describes each theft Boles committed, making for a fascinating account of an enigmatic criminal.""-Booklist ""Scrupulously researched and smoothly written, this is an entertaining slice of Americana.""--Publishers Weekly"

An entertaining, well-researched foray into the life of a well-known but legend-layered outlaw. -Kirkus Review

Author Information

John Boessenecker is the author of twelve books, including New York Times bestseller Texas Ranger. He has received the Spur award from Western Writers of America, the Best Book award from Westerners International, and in 2011, 2013 and 2019 True West named him Best Nonfiction Writer. He has appeared frequently as a historical commentator on PBS, The History Channel, A&E, and other media. He lives near San Francisco, California.

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