THE ENGLISH WESTERNERS' SOCIETY
Recently Published Brand Books
and Special Publications
(All prices are at subscriber rates - books should be ordered from
Bob Wybrow, 15 Hurstwood Drive, Bickley, Bromley, Kent, BR1 2EJ or E-mail the Treasurer@EWS )
Baronet in an Earth Lodge (96pp) The ‘Singular Adventures’ of Irish Baronet Sir St. George Gore, famed for his epic hunting exploits in early Colorado and other Western States. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 8B. £8.00 ($16.00)
The Eyes of the Sleepers: Cheyenne Accounts of the Washita Attack. (24pp) A collation of rare Cheyenne interviews dealing with the Custer attack against Black Kettle at the Washita in 1868. £2.25 ($4.50)
Jesse Woodson James - A Noble Robber? (16pp) A fully researched look at the legendary aspects of this fabled outlaw. £2.00 ($4.00)
Crook’s Résumé of Operations against the Apache Indians 1882 to 1886. (28pp) Rarely in print, unless goaded, these are the scarce words of the bearded one himself on the subject of Geronimo. £2.75 ($5.50)
Jack McCall, Assassin: An Updated Account of his Yankton Trial, Plea for Clemency, and Execution. (24pp) The twists and turns of Black Jack’s last trial for the killing of Wild Bill Hickok. £2.25 ($4.50)
'Splashed to the Brows in Blood': The Winston Train Robbery and the End of an Outlaw. (20pp) The last days of the James Gang and an examination of Jesse's untimely death at the hands of the Ford brothers. £2.00 ($4.00)
The Guns Long Hair Left Behind: The Gatling Gun Detachment and the Little Big Horn. (24pp) Should Custer have been better armed or would it have cramped his style? The debate of the day is raised again in this new examination which also contains a rare copy layout plan, from Dr Thomas B Marquis, of the Seventh Cavalry marching in formation. £2.00 ($4.00)
The Northfield Tragedy (89pp) John Jay Lemon's book first published a century and a quarter ago, probably within weeks of the dramatic raid by the James-Younger Gang on the First National Bank of Minnesota on September 7, 1876. This is a modern reprint with a foreword by Robert J. Wybrow, one of the acknowledged experts both in the UK and USA of the James brothers and the exploits of many of their associates. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 9. £4.75 ($9.50)
'James W Kenedy: Cattleman, Texas Ranger, Gambler and 'Fiend in Human Form' (28pp) A tale from the annals of Dodge City in the 1870's. Was his celebrated victim the real 'Miss Kitty' of fictional Western fame? Something of the life of this rich-boy-gone-bad is told here including his pursuit by Wyatt Earp and an all-star posse of the most intrepid lawmen.' £1.50 ($3.00)
The Battle for Apache Pass (32pp) Captains Roberts and Cremony needed water for their men and horses. It was to be found only at a spring high in the rocky bastions of Apache Pass where Cochise and Mangas Colorodas held the cliff tops above them. Accounts of the participants and maps from Larry L Ludwig tell the ensuing story'. The story of the Battle for Apache Pass from the original reports of the California Volunteers, with editorial by Allan Radbourne. £2.00 ($4.00).
Captain Tom Bell and his Legion of Ruffians (102pp) Tells the enduring story of Captain Tom Bell and his organised raiders who preyed upon the early California goldfields. Something of a contrast to the Old West proper and the more interesting for that. Features an excellent map of Gold Rush California. £5.00 ($10.00).
The Saffron Walden Scalplock Shirt (34pp) The story of the scalplock or hair fringed shirt that occupies a prime location at the Worlds of Man Gallery at Saffron Walden Museum and related aspects of Plains Indian material culture is by Neil Gilbert and as a number of colour drawings by Richard Hook as well as black and white illustrations. £3.25 ($6.50).
More Sidelights of the Sioux Wars (96pp) This Special Publication No. 10 was sent to all members for 2002-2003 in lieu of the Brand Books for that year. It contains four well-researched articles; George Herendeen: The Life of a Montana Scout by Barry C. Johnson, Approach to the Little Big Horn River by Rod MacNeil, "I Have a Right to Sing" - The Courtmartial of Cadet Marcus A. Reno at West Point by Barry C. Johnson and Yellowstone Interlude: Custer's Earlier Fights with the Sioux by Francis B. Taunton. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 10. £6.00 ($12.00).
The Liberty Bank Robbery (18pp) This article tells the story of the first crime attributed to the James Gang that took place at Liberty, a small town in Clay County, Missouri. Some of the material appeared in previous Society publications but enough is new to make an update worthwhile. £2.00 ($4.00).
"My Arm was Hanging Loose" - The Pinkerton Attack on the James Family Home (48pp) By Robert J. Wybrow as a result of new material this is a re-examination of famous bungled raid on the home of the James Brothers - Frank and Jesse over the night of 25/26th January 1875 by operatives of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. It was during this raid that their mother lost an arm. £3.50 ($7.00).
"Vignettes in Violence". (108pp) This is Volume 1 in a two volume series edited by Barry C. Johnson and Francis B. Taunton to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the English Westerners' Society. It contains a series of articles on Western outlaws and law enforcers written by Chuck Parsons, Robert Wybrow, Jeffrey Burton and Roy O'Dell. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 11A. £5.50 ($11.00)
Black Twin: Dark Lord of the Oglala (18pp) By Gary Leonard. 'My friend' said Red Cloud to the commissioner, 'take pity on me, if you would have me live long'. He was talking about another chief named Black Twin, whom he said was 'wild, like the antelope' but admitted that he was afraid to make a move without the mysterious leader's approval. This intriguing work examines the forgotten power of 'the most prominent Oglala' during the Sioux wars. £1.50 ($3.00).
The Battle at Rainy Butte: A Significant Sioux-Crow Encounter of 1858 (69pp) By Brian L Keefe who provides an account of the 1858 confrontation that took place at Rainy Butte almost twenty years before the Little Bighorn, when the Sioux consolidated their hold upon the Northern Plains. It started here. £4.50 ($9.00).
The Life and Death of Outlaw Harry Tracy (37pp) By Frank James. Although attributed to Frank James the account of the outlaw Harry Tracy was actually ghosted by a journalist and author Robertus Love as the Foreword by Robert Wybrow informs the reader. Tracy was an outlaw who had escaped from the Oregon State Penitentiary on 9th June, 1902 and was to die at his own hands on 5-6th August, 1902 after being cornered by a posse. During this brief period on the run he had killed seven people including the man he had escaped with. £2.75 ($5.50).
Company C, Indian Scouts, Arizona, 1882 (24pp) By Allan Radbourne who tells the story behind one term of enlistment for a typical Indian Scout company in 1882. The enlistment of Indian Scouts by the U.S. army was first authorised in 1866 and had become routine by the 1880s. £2.10 ($4.25).
The Outlaw and the Lawman: Some Reminisces of Cole Younger and Harry Hoffman (56pp) Compiled and introduced by Robert Wybrow and Laura Heywood. Harry Hoffman was a lawman in the Jackson County Marshal's Office from 1909-1917 and was an authority on some of the old time outlaws. He was born in 1873 and died in 1964. Laura Heywood who along with Robert Wybrow compiled this Brand Bok actually met Hoffman in 1959 when she was 13 years-old and corresponded with him until his death. Hoffman had been a friend of Jesse James Jnr and despite being a lawman was an admirer of Cole Younger. Hoffman was also the director and general manager of the company that produced the film that starred Jesse James Jnr, as his outlaw father and in which Harry played Cole Younger. This collection of reminiscences of this old-timer is probably the most complete collection published. £3.70 ($7.50).
Wakanyan: Symbols of Power and Ritual of the Teton Sioux (22pp) This is by the late Colin Taylor is reproduced by kind permission of Mr Samuel W. Corrigan, Editor of The Canadian Journal of Native Studies. This work was originally given as a lecture and subsequently published as a paper in the aforementioned journal. In this work Colin brought out the observations of the American anthropologist, Lewis Henry Morgan, who felt that Indian artefacts were "silent memorials" which could unlock the social history of the past. £2.10 ($4.25).
"Wash My Hands in Your Heart's Blood" Some Incidents in the Life of Mattie Collins (31 pp) By Robert Wybrow. Mattie Collins is well known to those interested in the James Gang especially because of her relationship to Dick Liddil and minor part in the assassination of Jesse James. There were other darker facets to her life, involving three murders. She was born in 1851 and died in 1936. £2.25 ($4.50).
A Blackburn Man in the Frontier Army: The Life and Recollections of Sergeant Jacob Howarth (40 pp) by Barry C. Johnson. Voices from the ranks were seldom" were seldom heard according to Johnson and most only deal with the period of military service. Jacob Howarth was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1853, he would run away to see the world and end up enlisting in the U.S. army in 1871 and was then assigned to the Company F, 11th U.S. Infantry, who were serving in Texas. He only served five years but had no regrets and returned to his native country in late November1876 having achieved the rank of sergeant. In 1926 he wrote by request what he himself described as "a simple and truthful narrative of events [in Texas] ... without colouring of any kind." £3.25 ($6.50).
Mochi: Cheyenne Woman Warrior (32 pp) by the late Peter Harrison. Peter as many members will be aware died on the 31 January 2009. He had been working on his book about Monasetah and his research had produced a wealth of information on the Southern Cheyenne. This book is a result of some of that research and was finalised by Gary Leonard who took over editorial control of the Brand Book after Peter's untimely death. It is a fascinating account of Mochi, a Cheyenne woman who was as fierce as any warrior. With her husband Medicine Water, she was responsible for the death of five members of the German family (the parents and three of seven children) and capture and taking into captivity of four surviving female members. The attack on this immigrant family took place on the 11th September 1874 on the West Kansas Plains. £2.75 ($5.50).
Vintage Special Publications
It is gratifying to note that many of the Society's publications have become collectable and have increased in value in the American resale market.
Subscribing Members can still purchase the following vintage works at reasonable prices:
Portraits in Gunsmoke (110pp) Outlaw Country; They Fought for "The House", The James Gang in West Virginia; Murder at Mound Valley. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 4. £5.95 ($12.00) includes postage and packaging. SOLD OUT
Sufficient Reason? (97pp) Monograph on Terry's celebrated order to Custer. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 5. £5.00 ($10.00) includes postage and packaging. SOLD OUT
Ho, For the Great West! (Hardbound 226pp, paperbound 132pp) Some Reflections on the West and the Westerners; ''Ho, For the Great West!" , These Were the Regulators: Captain Hatfield and the Chiricahuas; James Clements, A Peripheral Gunfighter; The Concordia Bank Robbery, "A Scene of Sickening, Ghastly Horror", Flipper's Dismissal* [Hardbound available only] English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 6. £9.00 ($18.00) includes postage and packaging.
* Note: President Clinton's posthumous pardon of Lt. Henry O. Flipper brings renewed topicality to this teasing tale of the circumstances bringing about the downfall of the first black graduate from West Point.
"No Pride in the Little Big Horn" (80pp) Don Russell; Weir and the Custer's; The Enigma of Weir Point; "Operation Whitewash''? Early Nineteenth Century Crow Warrior Costume; The Army of the Frontier l865-1891. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 7. £6.00 ($12.00) includes postage and packaging. SOLD OUT
Missionaries, Indians and Soldiers (48pp) Geronimo's Contraband Cattle; Plains Indians and Missionaries. English Westerners' Society Special Publication No. 8A. £5.00 ($10.00) includes postage and packaging.
Back numbers of some earlier Brand Books are also available.
PLEASE NOTE THAT NON-MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY CAN ONLY PURCHASE PUBLICATIONS
THROUGH WESTERNERS PUBLICATIONS LIMITED
LAST UPDATED 19 JUNE 2010
Copyright © 2010 English Westerners' Society