Wild Bill Hickok – The Prince of Pistoleers by Frank J. Wilstach - 1926

Hardbound bright orange cloth boards with black text on both the spine and front board. Boards are in very nice condition with only wear at the top and bottom of the back strip. Corners are all sharp with only light wear. Spine has a slight slant, but is firmly attached to the text block, with no cracking to the endpapers. Text block is solid with deckled front edge and all pages firmly attached. Slight age tanning throughout. Frontispiece is black & white photograph of Wild Bill Hickok. Previous owner name on the front free endpaper and a book seller stamp on the rear endpaper. Otherwise, all interior pages are clean with no tears, cracks, or previous owner marks. 304 pages Dimensions: H – 8– 1/4" W – 5 - 3/4" Wild Bill Hickok (1837 – 1876) was born James Butler Hickok on a farm in northern Illinois and went on to become a folk hero of the American Old West. His life on the frontier included being a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman and actor, but also for his involvement in many famous gunfights. His notoriety continues today much bolstered by the many outlandish and often fictitious tales he told about himself in his time. Today many of his exploits are known to be fictitious but remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation. What is not fictitious is that in 1876 Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory by Jack McCall, an unsuccessful gambler. His hand of cards (which he supposedly held at the time of his death) is now known as the dead man's hand: two pairs, black aces, and eights. Frank J. Wilstach (1865 – 1933) was an American newspaper editor, talent agent for actors and theater and motion picture organizations, an author, and a lexicographer. His best-known work was the "Dictionary of Similes" published in 1916 with a new edition in 1924. Much less well known, and much harder to find, are his books "The Plainsman" and of course, "Wild Bill Hickok".