The Oath of Bill Bonney: A Novel of Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid Rides Again

H.C. Early's novel of the most famous desperado the Wild West ever produced-Billy the Kid-is seeing the light of day for the first time since it was originally published in 1957.

Early, who was one of the last of the old-time pulp Western fiction writers, put his unique spin on the legend of William H. Bonney for the now-defunct Famous Western magazine. Full of gunplay and slap-dash action straight out of the Kid's life, The Oath of Bill Bonney also introduces two new elements into the literary life of this young gunman-a love interest, and a unique take on the famous shot-in-the-dark at the Pete Maxwell house.

The real-life main players are all here, as well-Charlie Bowdre, Tom O'Folliard, John Chisum, John Tunstall, Alexander McSween, Pat Garrett, Bob Ollinger, et. al.-and many of the most famous incidents in the Kid's life form integral parts of the story.

New Material

In this freshly typeset book, Early's novel has received a foreword to the new edition by editor Craig Dunleavy, an afterword that includes Pat Garrett's own account of the death of Billy the Kid, and a newspaper account of the day. The frontispiece is instantly recognizable as the ferrotype that was taken of the Kid in 1879 or 1880.

So sit back and enjoy a creative romp through one of pulp fiction's Western entries, courtesy of H.C. Early and Clarion Publishing.