Empire of the Summer Moon

“One hell of a good read.” — The New York Times “One of the most important books written on the American West in many years.” — True West Magazine From the New York Times bestselling author of The Big Rich and Forget the Alamo comes an epic reconsideration of the time and place that spawned America’s most legendary gunfighters, from Jesse James and Billy the Kid to Butch and Sundance The “Wild West” gunfighter is such a stock figure in our popular culture that some dismiss it all as a corny myth, more a product of dime novels and B movies than a genuinely important American history. In fact, as Bryan Burrough shows us in his dazzling and fast-paced new book, there’s much more below the surface. For three decades at the end of the 1800s, a big swath of the American West was a crucible of change, with the highest murder rate per capita in American history. The reasons behind this boil down to one word: Texas. Texas was born in violence, on two fronts, with Mexico to the south and the Comanche to the north. The Colt revolver first caught on with the Texas Rangers. Southern dueling culture transformed into something wilder and less organized in the Lone Star State. The collapse of the Confederacy and the presence of a thin veneer of Northern occupiers turned the heat up further. And the explosion in the cattle business after the war took that violence and pumped it out from Texas across the whole of the West. The stampede of longhorn cattle brought with it an assortment of rustlers, hustlers, gamblers, and freelance lawmen who carried a trigger-happy honor culture into a widening gyre, a veritable blood meridian. When the first newspapermen and audiences discovered what good copy this all was, the flywheel of mythmaking started spinning. It’s never stopped. The Gunfighters brilliantly sifts the lies from the truth, giving both elements their due. And the truth is sufficiently wild for any but the most unhinged tastes. All the legendary figures are here, and their escapades are told with great flair—good, bad, and ugly. Like all great stories, this one has a rousing end—as the railroads and the settlers close off the open spaces for good, the last of the breed, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, really do get on a boat for South America, ending their era in a blaze of glory. Burrough knits these histories together into something much deeper and more provocative than simply the sum of its parts. To understand the truth of the Wild West is to understand a crucial dimension of the American story.

In the shadow of the Roaring Twenties, a uniquely American evil took root. While flappers danced to jazz, the Ku Klux Klan rose to terrifying power not in the Old Confederacy, but in the Heartland and the West, fueled by hatred against Blacks, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. At the center of this surge stood D.C. Stephenson, a charismatic con man who became the Grand Dragon of Indiana, his gospel of hate spread from pulpits to town squares, embraced by judges, governors, and senators. But when Stephenson's cruelty led to the tragic death of Madge Oberholtzer, her courageous deathbed testimony exposed his dark secrets and brought the Klan crashing down. A Fever in the Heartland, by Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author Timothy Egan, is a propulsive historical thriller and a chillingly resonant reckoning with a sinister chapter in American history, revealing how easily hatred can be disguised and the power of one woman to ignite the spark of justice.

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois, a towering figure in American intellectual history, delivers a profound and enduring exploration of race and identity at the dawn of the 20th century. Through a collection of essays that blend sociology, history, and poignant personal narrative, Du Bois captures the essence of the African American experience, grappling with the complexities of "double consciousness"—the sense of always seeing oneself through the eyes of others.

Published in 1903, this seminal work challenges prevailing attitudes and confronts the deep-seated injustices of a nation struggling to reconcile its ideals with the realities of segregation and discrimination. Du Bois offers a powerful critique of Booker T. Washington's accommodationist stance, advocating instead for aggressive activism and the pursuit of higher education as essential pathways to Black liberation and empowerment.

From reflections on the haunting beauty of Black spirituals to searing accounts of racial prejudice, The Souls of Black Folk remains a vital and essential read, offering timeless insights into the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the enduring quest for identity and belonging in a divided America.

Step aboard and dive into the thrilling world of buccaneers and brigands with Captain Charles Johnson's "A General History of the Pirates." Published in 1724, this gripping chronicle unveils the notorious lives and daring exploits of the pirates who once terrorized the high seas during the Golden Age of Piracy.

More than just a historical account, Johnson's work blends fact with legend, offering a vivid and often sensational portrayal of piracy and its culture. From the infamous Blackbeard, who kept his crew in line with fear, to the scandalous love triangle of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and "Calico" Jack Rackham, prepare to meet a cast of unforgettable characters.

"A General History of the Pirates" has shaped our modern perception of pirates, influencing countless works of literature and film. Robert Louis Stevenson and J.M. Barrie drew inspiration from Johnson's swashbuckling tales. Experience the book that launched a thousand legends and continues to captivate readers with its tales of adventure, rebellion, and the dark allure of the pirate life.