Jesse James: The Life, Times, and Treacherous Death of the Most Infamous Outlaw of All Time

by Frank Triplett

There is no western outlaw more infamous and notorious than Jesse James. A Confederate guerilla during the Civil War, he and his brother, as the leaders of numerous gangs of the Wild West, turned to a life of crime and robbery that lasted more than a decade. James’s life has been the subject of hundreds of books, films, and television shows, but none more vividly captures the actual life story of the legendary criminal than Frank Triplett’s definitive biography.

The author, then an unknown writer, penned the book in just seven weeks, immediately following James’s assassination. Accompanying the book’s publication was a letter of authorization signed by James’s wife and mother, attesting to the authenticity of the book.

Reproduced from one of the rare first editions published, Jesse James is printed complete with dozens of original plate illustrations. An important document for historians, and a hell of a wild story, detailing every one of the robberies and acts of violence James and his gang perpetrated, Jesse James is an essential piece of Western literature. From the Civil War to the infamous circumstances surrounding his death, James is an iconic American figure and a fascinating character.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Westerns, True Crime

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Tom M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out not understanding why The Life, Times and Treacherous Death of Jesse James was written grammatically lacking and so biased towards Jesse always being shown in a good way. I later realized that this was a reprint from over 100 years ago with the intention of keeping the original flaws of grammar. Also, Jesse’s Mother and Wife were telling the story so it is understandable that it would be told with prejudice. Photos and additional information were added to the original book to allow for this new publication.
Not a 5 but more than a 3.

[Jeffrey Schmieder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in the 1970's, an enjoyable read, but don't trust it to be 100% accurate. Much was just made up by the author, and it is very sympathetic to the James family and gang.

[Thomas Driver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pure hokum. Very little value other than an example of the period's use of hyperbole and exaggeration with bias.

[Dan Shonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the American West, bank and/or train robbers, or even the Civil War in the border states (like Kansas and Missouri), this is a book you may well enjoy. It was written shortly after the death of Jesse James, so it has a nifty historical view. It's prose is certainly dated, but that may be part of its appeal. (At first it's a bit hard to read, but not nearly as bad as my memories of The Canterbury Tales. I found that olde English far too much work to understand.) This modern reprint includes some footnoted corrections to Triplett's original text. Many of the chapters are accounts of robberies attributed to the James Gang, but debunked by Triplett. In that vein, Triplett presents Jesse James as a tragic figure, shaped and forced into choices by chance encounters. It's a great example of the domino effect. If the Union militia hadn't mistreated the James/Samuels family, the James boys wouldn't have joined the guerrilla unit, and wouldn't thus have been hunted and unemployable. . . forced to an occupation as a criminal just to make a living. Uhhmmm, maybe. At least Triplett presents a pretty good case.

[Greg Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This supposed biography is not so much a biography as a fan boy's love story to his idol. According to Triplett, the author, Jesse James never did anything wrong. Was never involved in bank robbing or murder of any kind. He was a war hero and a good quiet person. The hero worship throughout the book is just too much. The most interesting part of the book is the story behind it being published. It has support from James' wife and mother, which both later recanted. A book about publishing and what happened with the book in regards to the then governor of Missouri would be more interesting.

[Travis Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough read. More than a handful of typos, far too many commas, inundation by way of uninteresting details, and clear bias by the author.

BUT, it feels like a complete account of the known life events of Jesse James. The writing about the actual events was interesting.

I'd recommend this only to people who really want to know as much as they can about Jesse James. Information does not equal a good read.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Controversial for sure. It is Interesting that the book allegedly relied on Jessie's mother and wife who disputed the author's claim for their participation but later sued the publisher for not paying their royalties. Go figure.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about Jesse James. So much has been written about him and this is no different. The author took 400+ pages to tell his story.

[Nibor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

This book was originally written while, Jesse & Frank James mother was still living and she looked it over for accuracy. It is written as a history book.

[Bill Turner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this book.

[Nannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but too detail oriented, making it boring at times to read.

[Jon Bojko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting as a time-piece, not for quality of writing