This illustrated filmography analyzes the plots and players of more than 40 motion pictures about the legendary Missouri outlaw Jesse James (1847-1882), from the silent era to the 21st Century.

Among the films and actors covered are Jesse James (1939) with Tyrone Power, Kansas Raiders (1950) with Audie Murphy, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) with Robert Duvall and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) with Brad Pitt. Each evaluation compares Hollywood's version of history with the facts.

Also discussed are Jesse James Under the Black Flag and Jesse James as the Outlaw, two 1921 silents that starred Jesse's own son, as well as reports that Frank James appeared in a silent film, too.

What's the best Jesse movie? Johnny D. Boggs says Ride with the Devil (1999), "which isn't about Jesse James, but that's all right because the best movie about George Custer is Fort Apache, which isn't about Custer, either. ..."

This book should appeal to movie buffs, Western lovers and serious film and Jesse James scholars.

Johnny D. Boggs

Heritage Wrangler Award

Booklist has called Johnny D. Boggs "among the best western writers at work today."  He has won the prestigious Spur Award from Western Writers of America twice, in 2006 for his novel Cam Ford, and in 2002 for his short story "A Piano at Dead Man's Crossing." His novels Ten and Me and The Hart Brand were Spur finalists in 2000 and 2007, and he won the Western Heritage Wrangler Award in 2004 for his novel Spark on the Prairie.