I Am Jesse James

Don't expect any lessons on how to build a custom Harley Davidson. This book is just pure eye candy. Considering that bike magazines are so expensive this book is worth buying for inspiration. As a 'coffee table book' (whatever that means!), it serves its purpose well, which is why I'm giving it 5 Stars. I'm not really into custom Harleys (As far as H-Ds are concerned I would prefer a Buell X1 Lightning or Sundance Performance Super XR1200) but I appreciate the effort, skill and craftsmanship that goes into each of his bikes. Jesse James is famous because he's the real deal. He can actually do his own metalwork, shaping sheetmetal into a tank or fender, and does his own welding. His style is a bit on the extreme side of things, yet isn't bizzare or cartoonish, which is probably why he's successful. I bought this book because I wanted to know ... "Who is this guy?" ... "Why is he so famous"? I've created a couple of special edition automobiles ... but why am I not even half as famous? :) We could all learn a bit about marketing, advertising and promotion from Jesse James. If you want to read about Jesse James himself, buy the Mike Seate book "Jesse James, the man and his machines".

I saw Jesse James had a book coming out so I ordered it. Upon receiving it I read it in about an hour. My reason for ordering this book was to find out more info about the man that is not written in every publication out there. What I found is there is about 15 + pages of written words and the other 130+ pages are photos. Granted these are great photos, but I have seen most of then on the West Coast Choppers and the Chopper Dogs web sites. Most of the text about Jesse James I have read before. However, there are a few cool facts, photo's etc. The best pics are those with Jesse Jr. and Cisco(his dog). Overall, a really cool book. If you're a fan of Monster Garage and Choppers then this book is for you.