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Deadwood Dick The Prince of the Road: or The Black Rider of the Black Hills
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
- GenresWesterns
112 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 1877
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27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 23, 2014
A dime novel I read for American Lit, featuring cowboys, showdowns, and shootouts. Racism and misogyny abound, as well as plot holes the size of my Goodreads to-read list. Reading Deadwood Dick: Prince of the Road reminded me of the fanfiction I wrote six years ago, as it made me think about how far I have come in terms of the quality of my reading material.
Sorry for the snark here. Will catch up on reviews in the upcoming months.
Sorry for the snark here. Will catch up on reviews in the upcoming months.
Want to read
May 1, 2019Synopsis: Deadwood Dick appeared in dime novels from 1877 to 1897. Here we have a Cowboys and Indians story.
April 28, 2020
Thanks to stay-at-home Covid-19 guidelines, I wound up watching a documentary about Calamity Jane. I learned Calamity was an alcoholic prostitute who eventually became famous for being famous ( sort of a 19th Century Kardashian) and who eventually joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show where she fabricated and told stories about herself performing heroic deeds.
How did she become a Kardashian before cable television ? In part due to a series of 5 cent "Deadwood Dick" books. Written and published "Back East" by an author who had never traveled west, these books (and others like them) used real people (Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, Wild Bill Hickok) in fictionalized and frankly preposterous stories making them bigger in life.
Per Wikipedia: "This series, written by Edward Wheeler, established her with a reputation as a Wild West heroine and probably did more to enhance her familiarity to the public than any of her real life exploits. (There is no evidence that she was consulted by Wheeler or approved the Deadwood Dick stories, so the character in the stories was entirely fictitious – as were the events described, but the fictional adventures were muddled in the public mind with the real Jane"
So how was the book? Hilariously bad, like an old time play where the audience hisses at the mustache-twirling villain. It features racist statements about Indians and Blacks which wre probably pretty standard for the time, and the plot (which runs on a series of highly unlikely coincidences) just does not make a lot of sense.
It is a fast read, and from a historical perspective it has some value. If you are curious or a fan of the Wild Wild West as it existed in people's minds at the time, it is worth a download.
How did she become a Kardashian before cable television ? In part due to a series of 5 cent "Deadwood Dick" books. Written and published "Back East" by an author who had never traveled west, these books (and others like them) used real people (Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, Wild Bill Hickok) in fictionalized and frankly preposterous stories making them bigger in life.
Per Wikipedia: "This series, written by Edward Wheeler, established her with a reputation as a Wild West heroine and probably did more to enhance her familiarity to the public than any of her real life exploits. (There is no evidence that she was consulted by Wheeler or approved the Deadwood Dick stories, so the character in the stories was entirely fictitious – as were the events described, but the fictional adventures were muddled in the public mind with the real Jane"
So how was the book? Hilariously bad, like an old time play where the audience hisses at the mustache-twirling villain. It features racist statements about Indians and Blacks which wre probably pretty standard for the time, and the plot (which runs on a series of highly unlikely coincidences) just does not make a lot of sense.
It is a fast read, and from a historical perspective it has some value. If you are curious or a fan of the Wild Wild West as it existed in people's minds at the time, it is worth a download.
October 11, 2023
I hated every minute that I spent reading this novel.
February 11, 2015
I have heard a great deal about the "dime novels" produced primarily during the later half of the 19th Century; but this is the first time I have actually read one. I happened to acquire it when I first purchased my e-reader and it was available for free (a very good price). It languished in the cloud for several years until about a week ago when I happened to see a television re-run of Death Valley Days dealing with "Deadwood Dick". This piqued my interest so I downloaded good ol' Dick.
I actually enjoyed reading this book. Yes, it was a bit corny at times but it was easy to see why hoards of easterners eagerly awaited stories of the "Wild West" especially when there was no radio, television, or internet. Reading one of these books was an inexpensive and entertaining way to spend a few evenings far from the drudgery of every day life at the time.
As was the case with many of the radio and television westerns of my childhood, historical accuracy was not necessarily an objective. This often lead to erroneous impressions by readers of what life in the West was actually like. The author, Edward L. Wheeler was a prolific writer and was known to have produced a number of these books. There is some speculation about how many he actually wrote and the time of his death. The book had an unusual ending in my opinion. The only downside of this read was getting used to the "western vernacular" used by the characters and some of flowery language typical of that time period.
To me, reading this book was like watching a couple of episodes of "The Lone Ranger" on television. You can recall "those thrilling days of yesteryear" an do it in an entertaining evening or two.
I actually enjoyed reading this book. Yes, it was a bit corny at times but it was easy to see why hoards of easterners eagerly awaited stories of the "Wild West" especially when there was no radio, television, or internet. Reading one of these books was an inexpensive and entertaining way to spend a few evenings far from the drudgery of every day life at the time.
As was the case with many of the radio and television westerns of my childhood, historical accuracy was not necessarily an objective. This often lead to erroneous impressions by readers of what life in the West was actually like. The author, Edward L. Wheeler was a prolific writer and was known to have produced a number of these books. There is some speculation about how many he actually wrote and the time of his death. The book had an unusual ending in my opinion. The only downside of this read was getting used to the "western vernacular" used by the characters and some of flowery language typical of that time period.
To me, reading this book was like watching a couple of episodes of "The Lone Ranger" on television. You can recall "those thrilling days of yesteryear" an do it in an entertaining evening or two.
fic-guided
June 25, 2020This is one of the most popular of the ‘dime novels’ that catered to a mass readership in late-nineteenth-century America. These ten-cent products were often westerns and sold in their hundreds of thousands – mainly to readers in the urban east. They were the subsoil in which Hollywood sank its roots when the entertainment industry cranked up at the turn of the century. Your dime could now get you into the Kinematograph, where you could see what previously you could only read about. Two things killed the cowboy dime novel: the continental spike, commemorating the completion of the transcontinental rail link that opened the way to mass movements of population (‘Go West, young man!’), and the moving picture. To dip into dime novels (this is one of the best) is to savour the rich literary smell of the Hollywood subsoil. If you don’t know the novel, how many movies come to mind reading the following summary? A lot, I predict.
Deadwood Dick on Deck is, chronologically, the eighth in the long-running Deadwood series, and the most famous for its depiction of the all-action, gun-toting, buckskin-wearing, man-hating heroine – Calamity Jane. Calamitous, that is, for any man (particularly any ‘redskin’) who crosses her. The action is set in the Black Hills of Dakota, in the gold-mining town of Whoop Up. The main line of the novel’s action centres on two prospectors: Sandy and his rather mysterious ‘pardner’, Dusty Dick. In another part of the narrative Deadwood Dick, ‘the handsome knight of the hills’, is the leader of a gang who have appointed themselves as ‘regulators’ – unofficial agents of law and order who keep down the area’s outlawry. Deadwood Dick disappears and is presumed dead. Call him Dead Dick. His disappearance from the scene leads to a predictable outbreak of lawlessness. In fact, Dick is not dead but has disguised himself as ‘Old Bullwhacker’, a superannuated bushy-whiskered ‘regulator’. His reasons for doing this are not altogether clear. There ensue various ‘diabolical plots’ which climax in a bloody shoot-out in a goldmine.
In the denouement of the tale, Sandy the prospector is revealed to be Earl Beverly – a man falsely accused of forgery in the east who took the trail west to forget and be forgotten. Dusty Dick is revealed to be a girl, Edna Sutton. Sandy marries her. Pardners indeed. Calamity Jane remains resolutely single and misanthropic.
She was, historically, Martha Jane Canary (1852–1903). Reputedly she was a formidable Indian fighter, horse-lover and man-hater. Photographs confirm Ms Canary looked nothing like Doris Day, who played her on screen.
Deadwood Dick on Deck is, chronologically, the eighth in the long-running Deadwood series, and the most famous for its depiction of the all-action, gun-toting, buckskin-wearing, man-hating heroine – Calamity Jane. Calamitous, that is, for any man (particularly any ‘redskin’) who crosses her. The action is set in the Black Hills of Dakota, in the gold-mining town of Whoop Up. The main line of the novel’s action centres on two prospectors: Sandy and his rather mysterious ‘pardner’, Dusty Dick. In another part of the narrative Deadwood Dick, ‘the handsome knight of the hills’, is the leader of a gang who have appointed themselves as ‘regulators’ – unofficial agents of law and order who keep down the area’s outlawry. Deadwood Dick disappears and is presumed dead. Call him Dead Dick. His disappearance from the scene leads to a predictable outbreak of lawlessness. In fact, Dick is not dead but has disguised himself as ‘Old Bullwhacker’, a superannuated bushy-whiskered ‘regulator’. His reasons for doing this are not altogether clear. There ensue various ‘diabolical plots’ which climax in a bloody shoot-out in a goldmine.
In the denouement of the tale, Sandy the prospector is revealed to be Earl Beverly – a man falsely accused of forgery in the east who took the trail west to forget and be forgotten. Dusty Dick is revealed to be a girl, Edna Sutton. Sandy marries her. Pardners indeed. Calamity Jane remains resolutely single and misanthropic.
She was, historically, Martha Jane Canary (1852–1903). Reputedly she was a formidable Indian fighter, horse-lover and man-hater. Photographs confirm Ms Canary looked nothing like Doris Day, who played her on screen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2025
2.5/5
Fun. The Frontier myth. Myth of the Western.
Great archetypes. Pretty racist towards Natives. Working on a paper to try and show beautiful and respectful writing towards Natives from this period.
Honestly wouldn't read again or recommend to others. Just a book. Grandpa Dibble's probably a fan. It would be nice to call him. Talk to him about this book. And reading. He loves Westerns. A good man. He had a difficult life. And so did my Grandma. And she hasn't been doing well for a while. But they've made a beautiful life for each other, and others, despite their faults.
Fun. The Frontier myth. Myth of the Western.
Great archetypes. Pretty racist towards Natives. Working on a paper to try and show beautiful and respectful writing towards Natives from this period.
Honestly wouldn't read again or recommend to others. Just a book. Grandpa Dibble's probably a fan. It would be nice to call him. Talk to him about this book. And reading. He loves Westerns. A good man. He had a difficult life. And so did my Grandma. And she hasn't been doing well for a while. But they've made a beautiful life for each other, and others, despite their faults.
April 1, 2024
When your main characters have names like Deadwood Dick and Fearless Frank and Charity Joe— and that is not intended to be funny — .you know what to expect. Calamity Jane is an important character in this cheerfully bonkers western, and this fictional presentation made her famous.
No real reason to read this.
No real reason to read this.
February 17, 2019
Filled with terrible tropes of the west and even worse exposition, "Deadwood Dick" is a painful snoozefest.
November 4, 2024
Messy: wouldn't have read it if I didn't have to for the class. There were still some insights on contemporary America.
March 5, 2015
Well, a lot of stuff happens ... but it mostly happens without much rhyme or reason. The first half is pretty confusing because there are four or five different sets of characters in different locations per chapter, and then it doesn't really get much clearer when things start converging. The characters are all pretty flat, too. Also, of course, there is lots of period racism and violence.
Calamity Jane is cool, though, which is nice since she's the reason I read this. I certainly don't plan to read the entire Deadwood Dick series, but I'll probably read one or two more for my Calamity Jane research.
Calamity Jane is cool, though, which is nice since she's the reason I read this. I certainly don't plan to read the entire Deadwood Dick series, but I'll probably read one or two more for my Calamity Jane research.
August 28, 2009
Okay, this Dime Novel was really poorly written. With almost no literary value. But is was extremely entertaining! Who doesn't love a dangerous pack of people like Deadwood Dick, Calamity Jane, or Fearless Frank? It is very much a shoot-'em-up-cowboy book. Just as a heads up: Wheeler doesn't explain most things. You didn't miss anything, it's just Wheeler.
November 21, 2015
Not a very good read. Very disjointed and hard to follow. And the dialect was almost undecipherable! I was also disappointed because I picked it up to learn more about Deadwood Dick, but not the one on these pages. More like the one name of Nat Love from the book "Paradise Sky" by Joe R. Lansdale. Oh well, live and learn.
January 29, 2011
Eye opening use of words. Fun read.
October 15, 2015
Not my cup of tea, but entertaining to say the least!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews