The bandit kings

the long version

A highly entertaining, illustrated look at the villains who robbed banks, trains, and stagecoaches - and who sometimes became American folk heroes - from the days of roving gangs on horseback wielding Colts and Winchesters to the era of the clutch-popping Tommy-gunners. In The Bandit Kings, acclaimed historian Roger A. Bruns provides a lively but considered assessment of the Western bandits and the legends they inspired. The story of how these notorious outlaws took on almost mythical stature in dime novels, popular magazines, theatrical entertainments, and eventually movies is fascinating in itself, but the real facts of their lives and misdeeds are no less intriguing. Throughout the book's 120 photographs, we see the actual faces and places where America's most renowned outlaws ran wild. The Bandit Kings weaves both history and legend into a narrative supported by a trove of rare and unforgettable photographs.