A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West (A. C. Greene) - Tapa dura

"Chuck and Norm have questioned everything in the Hardin autobiography, thereby adding a lot to our understanding of Hardin's early career. Readers of gunfighter lore will embrace this fine biography, and so will Texans in general."--Bill O'Neal, author of "The Johnson-Sims Feud" and "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" ""A Lawless Breed" is a resounding success, providing one of the most vivid accounts of Hardin. Parsons and Brown deserve particular commendation. Not only do they offer a brilliantly synthesized account of Hardin's life, including action-packed moments worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, they also portray him as more than just a hardened killer by focusing on the more intimate moments of his life as a father and husband. Parsons and Brown also deserve praise for the catalogue of pictures, some of which had yet to be published."--"Texas Books in Review" "Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown provide readers with the best account of John Wesley Hardin published to date, making it the definitive work on the Texas gunman's life. Scholars and students interested in the history of Texas will definitely want to add A Lawless Breed to their shelves."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly "Parsons and Brown provide a very well written book that almost all readers can enjoy. The authors have done an excellent job in verifying a great deal, if not all, of the information that Hardin included in his autobiography."--East Texas Historical Journal "A Lawless Breed deserves a prominent place in the personal library of any reader of Texas or outlaw history."--Western Historical Quarterly "In the end, Parsons and Brown's efforts to verify the episodes in Hardin's story turn into a virtual deconstruction of the whole and show how much of what has been thought real is myth. . . . [T]he authors have constructed what may be the most reliable factual presentation of what happened."--Chronicles of Oklahoma "Parsons and Brown use Hardin's autobiography as the foundation of the killer's life story. They never take the source at his word, but instead place Hardin's version alongside surviving contemporary accounts and oral traditions to assess whether Hardin's recollections are accurate or self-serving fiction. Without pretending to be psychologists, they acknowledge Hardin's narcissism, pointing to his recurring 'callous disregard for others, ' his unconvincing assertions of the inordinate respect for him shown by preeminent shootists like James Butler Hickock, and his absolute need to win, evidenced by his robberies to regain gambling losses. Their Hardin is no folk hero."--Journal of Arizona History "Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown have gathered an impressive paper trail with which to follow Hardin's activities from cradle to grave. . . . For those with a fascination for Old West gunmen, and Hardin was indisputably up there with the best (or worst) of those, A Lawless Breed should prove a treasure trove."--Wild West "The book does impress, most notably, in its wonderful illustration of contemporary relationships and how lawless Texas truly was. . . . [The book] is well researched and entertaining, and tells Hardin's captivating story with context and conclusion."--Journal of South Texas "A Lawless Breed is a resounding success, providing one of the most vivid accounts of Hardin. Parsons and Brown deserve particular commendation. Not only do they offer a brilliantly synthesized account of Hardin's life, including action-packed moments worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, they also portray him as more than just a hardened killer by focusing on the more intimate moments of his life as a father and husband. Parsons and Brown also deserve praise for the catalogue of pictures, some of which had yet to be published."--Texas Books in Review "This long awaited book is to be read, enjoyed, and studied, for we can all learn much from it, and, hopefully, potential writers and future scholars will use it as a guide to understanding both Wes Hardin the man, and what time and legend has made him. . . . The authors have shown the way, now the book is a must for every Westerner's library."--Joseph G. Rosa, English Westerners' Society Tally Sheet "Authors Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown have added much to the history, legend and lore of the misspent life of a premier Texas murderer. This is the best biography since Leon C. Metz penned his John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas. Further, through their meticulous research to determine how much of Hardin's autobiography is accurate, Parsons and Brown uncovered new sources that were not available to Metz, as well as new illustrations (Metz contributed the foreword for this book). A Lawless Breed will likely become a classic."--True West "Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown made an excellent choice in choosing as their subject a man who would shoot first, pray quick, and ride harder than any outlaws or lawmen in western United States history. It would seem that killing people was what John Wesley Hardin was born for."--from the Foreword by Leon C. Metz, author, Pat Garrett "Chuck and Norm have questioned everything in the Hardin autobiography, thereby adding a lot to our understanding of Hardin's early career. Readers of gunfighter lore will embrace this fine biography, and so will Texans in general."--Bill O'Neal, author of The Johnson-Sims Feud and Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters "The best known outlaw of pioneer Texas was John Wesley Hardin. Misspent as his life might have been, he was a deadly gunman and acknowledged by his contemporaries as a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve and not to be crossed. From an early age to his violent death with his boots on, he left behind a unique paper trail, including an autobiography. Parsons and Brown have dug deep in that trail and come up with a definitive biography that not only accurately tells the saga of Hardin's life, but does it in a readable manner that puts his life in the context of the times."--Rick Miller, author of Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881 and Bloody Bill Longley Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown made an excellent choice in choosing as their subject a man who would shoot first, pray quick, and ride harder than any outlaws or lawmen in western United States history. It would seem that killing people was what John Wesley Hardin was born for. from the Foreword by Leon C. Metz, author, "Pat Garrett" Chuck and Norm have questioned everything in the Hardin autobiography, thereby adding a lot to our understanding of Hardin s early career. Readers of gunfighter lore will embrace this fine biography, and so will Texans in general. Bill O Neal, author of "The Johnson-Sims Feud" and "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" The best known outlaw of pioneer Texas was John Wesley Hardin. Misspent as his life might have been, he was a deadly gunman and acknowledged by his contemporaries as a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve and not to be crossed. From an early age to his violent death with his boots on, he left behind a unique paper trail, including an autobiography. Parsons and Brown have dug deep in that trail and come up with a definitive biography that not only accurately tells the saga of Hardin s life, but does it in a readable manner that puts his life in the context of the times. Rick Miller, author of "Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881" and "Bloody Bill Longley"" "The best known outlaw of pioneer Texas was John Wesley Hardin. Misspent as his life might have been, he was a deadly gunman and acknowledged by his contemporaries as a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve and not to be crossed. From an early age to his violent death with his boots on, he left behind a unique paper trail, including an autobiography. Parsons and Brown have dug deep in that trail and come up with a definitive biography that not only accurately tells the saga of Hardin's life, but does it in a readable manner that puts his life in the context of the times."--Rick Miller, author of "Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881" and "Bloody Bill Longley"

John Wesley Hardin! His name spread terror in much of Texas in the years following the Civil War as the most wanted fugitive with a $4,000 reward on his head. A Texas Ranger wrote that he killed men just to see them kick. Hardin began his killing career in the late 1860s and remained a wanted man until his capture in 1877 by Texas Rangers and Florida law officials. He certainly killed twenty men; some credited him with killing forty or more. After sixteen years in Huntsville prison he was pardoned by Governor Hogg. For a short while he avoided trouble and roamed westward, eventually establishing a home of sorts in wild and woolly El Paso as an attorney. He became embroiled in the dark side of that city and eventually lost his final gunfight to an El Paso constable, John Selman. Hardin was forty-two years old.

Besides his reputation as the deadliest man with a six-gun, he left an autobiography in which he detailed many of the troubles of his life. In A Lawless Breed, Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown have meticulously examined his claims against available records to determine how much of his life story is true, and how much was only a half truth, or a complete lie. As a killer of up to forty men, Hardin obviously had psychological issues, which the authors probe and explain in laymen’s terms. To Hardin, those three dozen or more killings were a result of being forced to defend his life, his honor, or to preserve his freedom against those who would rob or destroy him or his loved ones. Was he a combination freedom fighter/man-killer, or merely a blood-lust killer who became a national celebrity? This deeply researched biography of Hardin and his friends and family will remain the definitive study for years to come.