Bad Blood: The Violent Lives of John Wesley Hardin, His Brothers, and Associates
This comprehensive biography explores the violent world of John Wesley Hardin, one of the most notorious gunfighters in American history. Written by Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown, recognized experts on Hardin's life, this book presents groundbreaking research and newly discovered information about the infamous Texas outlaw and his family.
Expert Authors and New Historical Discoveries
Chuck Parson and Norman Wayne Brown are noted experts on the life and times of John Wesley Hardin. They have written numerous books and magazine articles covering the topic from all angles and in such respected publications as True West, Frontier Times, and The Tombstone Epitaph.
Their biography, A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction and Violence in the Wild West (Denton: UNT Press, 2013) was relevant about John Wesley Hardin and his siblings at the time. Since then, they learned where John Wesley Hardin was really born, found that Gip Hardin did not die at sea, discovered a rare letter penned by Reverend Hardin to son Joe's widow, Belle, additional evidence surrounding John Wesley Hardin's death in El Paso, 1895, and much more.
Previously Unpublished Research
Some of the new discovered information was reported in articles published by True West, The Tombstone Epitaph, and Journal of Wild West History Association. Some articles have not been published. It seems bad blood ran though the veins of the Hardin brothers and many who associated with them. Hopefully you will find this collection worthwhile in addition to their knowledge of why the "breed" of John Wesley Hardin seemed so lawless.
What This Book Covers
This book examines the violent lives of the Hardin family during the turbulent Texas Reconstruction period. The research includes documentation of John Wesley Hardin's actual birthplace, the fate of his brother Gip Hardin, correspondence from Reverend Hardin, and detailed evidence about the gunfighter's death in El Paso in 1895. The authors present a complete picture of how violence permeated the Hardin family and their associates during one of the most lawless periods in American frontier history.
Published by Eakin Press in October 2022, this paperback brings together previously published articles from prestigious Western history journals alongside unpublished research, offering the most complete account of the Hardin family available.
