John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas
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Book Overview
Thus spoke one lawman about John Wesley Hardin, easily the most feared and fearless of all the gunfighters in the West. Nobody knows the exact number of his victims-perhaps as few as twenty or as many as fifty. In his way of thinking, Hardin never shot a man who did not deserve it. Seeking to gain insight into Hardin's homicidal mind, Leon Metz describes how Hardin's bloody career began in post-Civil War Central Texas, when lawlessness and killings were commonplace, and traces his life of violence until his capture and imprisonment in 1878. After numerous unsuccessful escape attempts, Hardin settled down and received a pardon years later in 1895. He wrote an autobiography but did not live to see it published. Within a few months of his release, John Selman gunned him down in an El Paso saloon.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0806129956
ISBN13:9780806129952
Release Date:April 1998
Publisher:University of Oklahoma Press
Length:352 Pages
Weight:1.05 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Excellent Book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
The most detailed account of Hardin I ever read. A real page turner filled with excellent photos. I have no respect or admiration for Hardin but I like to read about the "bad" guys. Metz is an excellent writer and I highly recomend his other books.
Leon Metz paints a very believable picture.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
What I like most about the writtings of Mr. Leon Metz is how he tells of what is said to have happened, what may possibly have happened and what probably did happen. As any old west buff knows, truth was not always a top priority and many stories were blown so out of proportion that the truth may never be known. Mr. Metz uses research along with common sense and comes up with truely believable aspects of this notorious outlaw who was clearly the greatest gunfighter of his time. This is an excellent book by an excellent author about the old west's most dangerous man.
Leon Metz's "John Wesley Hardin - Dark Angel Of Texas"
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Leon Metz is a meticulous researcher who adds human interest information to his biography of John Wesley Hardin. He writes well and his narrative flows. I learned much from Mr. Metz's novel and thoroughly enjoyed his writing style. I highly recommed this book.
Excellent account of the noted desperado
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This is a fascinating book that I found very hard to put down. Mr. Metz' writing style is very folksy and engaging, yet quite scholarly. He neither presents Hardin as a hero, nor does he pass judgement: the facts speak for themselves.Now on to the next Leon Metz book! This reviewer will definitely read them all.
Best biography of Hardin yet.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Having considered myself a sort of amateur historian of Texas figures, I know quite a bit about J.W. Hardin. Leon Metz's biography is the most honest and thoroughly researched one I've come across yet. This along with Metz's engaging writing style made this book a hard one to put down. He doesn't glorify or vilify this Texas gunman, and the reader comes away with a new understanding of the times and tribulations of those who lived on the frontier. I'm a hard sell, and yet I would recommend this book to anyone interested in characters of the American West.
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