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The Story of the Outlaw A Study of the Western Desperado
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
59 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Emerson Hough
294 books11 followersEmerson Hough was an American author best known for writing western stories and historical novels.
He married Charlotte Chesebro of Chicago in 1897 and made that city his home. During World War I, he served as a Captain with the Intelligence Service. He died in Evanston, Illinois, on April 30, 1923, a week after seeing the Chicago premiere of the movie The Covered Wagon, based on his 1922 book. Covered Wagon was his biggest best-selling novel since Mississippi Bubble in 1902. "North of 36", another Hough novel, later became a popular silent film as well, "making him one of the first Western authors to enter into the motion picture industry." He is buried in Galesburg, Illinois.
Asked in 1918 to provide some details of his own life, he replied in the context of World War I: "This is no time for autobiography of men of letters. This is the day of biography for men who have been privileged to act in the great scenes of today. It is the time for boys of 23. At least we can bless them and back them the best we know. I will not tell about myself. It is of no consequence."
Hough's hometown, Newton, Iowa, has honored him in several ways. A school named for him opened in 1926. Emerson Hough Elementary School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. His boyhood home bears a marker provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The school grounds include a playground with a western theme called Fort Emerson Hough. The local chapter of the Izaak Walton League also bears his name, as does a street, Emerson Hough Avenue in Lambs Grove, Iowa, a suburb of Newton.
In March 2010, the school board voted to close Emerson Hough School.Efforts to prevent its closure have included a fund raising and a Facebook page.
He married Charlotte Chesebro of Chicago in 1897 and made that city his home. During World War I, he served as a Captain with the Intelligence Service. He died in Evanston, Illinois, on April 30, 1923, a week after seeing the Chicago premiere of the movie The Covered Wagon, based on his 1922 book. Covered Wagon was his biggest best-selling novel since Mississippi Bubble in 1902. "North of 36", another Hough novel, later became a popular silent film as well, "making him one of the first Western authors to enter into the motion picture industry." He is buried in Galesburg, Illinois.
Asked in 1918 to provide some details of his own life, he replied in the context of World War I: "This is no time for autobiography of men of letters. This is the day of biography for men who have been privileged to act in the great scenes of today. It is the time for boys of 23. At least we can bless them and back them the best we know. I will not tell about myself. It is of no consequence."
Hough's hometown, Newton, Iowa, has honored him in several ways. A school named for him opened in 1926. Emerson Hough Elementary School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. His boyhood home bears a marker provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The school grounds include a playground with a western theme called Fort Emerson Hough. The local chapter of the Izaak Walton League also bears his name, as does a street, Emerson Hough Avenue in Lambs Grove, Iowa, a suburb of Newton.
In March 2010, the school board voted to close Emerson Hough School.Efforts to prevent its closure have included a fund raising and a Facebook page.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 17, 2019
This was a great read - not always what I wanted, but it kept me turning pages.
Review to come.
Review to come.
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September 23, 2009so far, pretty interesting. worth the 99 cent price on the kindle, for sure.
here is a review from the kindle edition: "Emerson Hough was a great Iowa writer who wrote about his own times, those of the Wild West! He keeps to the bare facts and was trying not to embellish his accounts of the outlaws. Even so, these stories are very vivid and colorful. I enjoy Hough's personal input on the subject of law and order (he thought the law, in his day, was ill-equipped to handle the "bad men") and it is interesting that he rode with Pat Garrett and others. I recommend this book to any western fan." -joe mullahey.
it is pretty straightforward so far, not a lot of flowery language, like a lot of western books. it also differentiates the real "bad man" from the wanna-be "bad man".
here is a review from the kindle edition: "Emerson Hough was a great Iowa writer who wrote about his own times, those of the Wild West! He keeps to the bare facts and was trying not to embellish his accounts of the outlaws. Even so, these stories are very vivid and colorful. I enjoy Hough's personal input on the subject of law and order (he thought the law, in his day, was ill-equipped to handle the "bad men") and it is interesting that he rode with Pat Garrett and others. I recommend this book to any western fan." -joe mullahey.
it is pretty straightforward so far, not a lot of flowery language, like a lot of western books. it also differentiates the real "bad man" from the wanna-be "bad man".
December 3, 2019
Excellent! The author personally interviewed some of the old time lawmen, including Pat Garret. There will be some things that will offend some individuals about the attitudes of an individual born probably 150 years ago, but it only comes up maybe once or twice well over half way through the book, and even then he admits that white bandits were the worst of the lot.
May 24, 2024
If there was one word I would choose to describe this book, it would be BRUTAL. One may believe they have a proper understanding of the Wild West and the lifestyle of the people who settled the American West, maybe through documentaries or, most likely, through movies. But through the accounts of the exploits of the men who made up the outlaws or 'bad men', we learned that, regardless of what side of the law one was on, the lands held equal opportunities for all who wanted to practice unspeakable crimes. The ones who were in it for personal gain committed fraud, robbery and cold blooded murder. And the ones seeking justice and a semblance of order did some lynching, ran people out of their homes and off their ow lands and and also committed cold blooded murder.
Men became sheriffs and governors while also running notorious gangs and sometimes because of the number of people they killed. The endless opportunities for the West represented led to crimes like stagecoach robberies, sheep and cattle theft, assault and lots and lots of MURDER.
The book covers the points that you would expect, from the wagon trails to the Gold Rush, all the way to the bank robberies of Jesse James. It is really extensive (though graphic) and the fact that the author was able to interview people who actually experienced itforthemselves was an added bonus.
The author's conclusion that the modern (for his time) trend of leniency and mercy towards outlaws being the wrong option is not an opinion that I share. Vigilante justice, the deployment of 'bad men' as law officers and the demonstration of an eye for an eye mentality freaks me out honestly. I get that he lived in a time in American History where crime in cities like Chicago was on the rise and unprecedented, but I believe that executions (or the lynching that the book describes) are more akin to vengeance than justice. He sounds like an old man complaining that the younger generation has gotten too soft.
Men became sheriffs and governors while also running notorious gangs and sometimes because of the number of people they killed. The endless opportunities for the West represented led to crimes like stagecoach robberies, sheep and cattle theft, assault and lots and lots of MURDER.
The book covers the points that you would expect, from the wagon trails to the Gold Rush, all the way to the bank robberies of Jesse James. It is really extensive (though graphic) and the fact that the author was able to interview people who actually experienced itforthemselves was an added bonus.
The author's conclusion that the modern (for his time) trend of leniency and mercy towards outlaws being the wrong option is not an opinion that I share. Vigilante justice, the deployment of 'bad men' as law officers and the demonstration of an eye for an eye mentality freaks me out honestly. I get that he lived in a time in American History where crime in cities like Chicago was on the rise and unprecedented, but I believe that executions (or the lynching that the book describes) are more akin to vengeance than justice. He sounds like an old man complaining that the younger generation has gotten too soft.
March 16, 2017
Desperadoism in the light of the quaint racial beliefs of the times, plus a few things about the Wild West that I didn't know.
January 10, 2017
Did not read, no rating and no review. .
Scan of material did not pique my interest. Refuse to write a review of material I have not read. Goodbye
Scan of material did not pique my interest. Refuse to write a review of material I have not read. Goodbye
January 10, 2014
I found this an interesting read, I wanted to find out some of the stories behind the characters portrayed in Western books and films and this probably doesn't give a very accurate historical account. The writing is of its time: racist and misogynist by today's standards. However I did get hooked and enjoyed the tales of a time now very much in the past but still resonating in American culture.
October 10, 2016
I am not sure why this book was written.
I'm glad I didn't pay for this book. This book was written around 1905, which may explain why parts of the book were so hard to understand and the timeline is confusing. Also some chapters just seem to stop in the middle of a thought and the next chapter has nothing to do with the last chapter.
I'm glad I didn't pay for this book. This book was written around 1905, which may explain why parts of the book were so hard to understand and the timeline is confusing. Also some chapters just seem to stop in the middle of a thought and the next chapter has nothing to do with the last chapter.
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June 11, 2015False
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews