Jesse James. Last Rebel of the Civil War

London England: Jonathan Cape Ltd, 2003. Hardback. First Edition. Jesse James. This first serious biography of Jesse James in forty years is a meticulously researched and stylishly written reconsideration of an American icon. Stripped of the familiar myths surrounding him, Jesse James emerges as a far more signifciant figure: a ruthless, purposeful and intensely political man who used crimes and notoriety to promote the Confederate cause during the bitter decade that folowed the South's surrender at Appomattox. The author paints a strikingly new and vivid portrait of the period before the Civil War, during the conflict and its aftermath, both nationally and, more specifically, in the divided border state of James's Missouri. There the great issues of the day expressed themselves in battles between those who aligned themselves with North or South. Jesse and his older brother Frank, sons of a pro-slavery preacher who died in the California Gold Rush and a ferocious Southern mother, served with some of the most savage Confederate Guerrillas. Illustrated.510 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions, Reference books ,and all types of Academic Literature.). First Edition. Cloth. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall Octavo. Hardback.