Another Jesse James Book

Another rare, early hardback on Jesse James.

"The James Brothers": Illustrated

This is an early hardcover with gilt front design. Hard to come by.

Jesse James: My Father

Around 2003, I visited the house where Jesse James was murdered by Robert Ford. It was in St. Joseph, MO, and overall, I gotta say: what a town! It has so much character and really hearkens back to the West of Old. Anyway, being in St. Joseph and then later watching the movie with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, we decided to pick up a few Jesse James items. This is one of them. More to come in future posts.

When I saw that the book's cover calls his crimes "adventures," it reminded me of that Brady Bunch episode where Bobby thinks he's a hero, but by the end of the episode, he realizes that James murdered people. What a very special episode that was! LOL.

Original Photo of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

The second photo shown is a known photo of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The first photo is a an original mid 1890's cabinet card from my collection that I strongly believe is them. The photo was purchased on eBay from a seller, who had already sent the item to Sothebys for examination. Sothebys couldn't confirm that it was the pair, but they couldn't disprove it either. After examining the history of Butch and Sundance, I have a strong belief that this is them. Butch and Sundance were travelling in that area around the time the photo was taken. The photo's time period can be dated specifically on the basis of the design of the edges and the markings used by this specific photographer. The dress is correct, and I believe they are about the right age. The features and heights of the men are on target, and Butch and Sundance were known to randomly get their photographs taken when they were travelling. It's hard to say for sure that this is them, because so few photos exist to compare it with. Whatever the case, the photo has a fun story to tell even if it does prove to be yarn.