The Words of an Outlaw

Gunman John Wesley Hardin penned his autobiography, which came out in 1896, a year after he died.  But there were problems–beyond Hardin’s bad memory (or lies, depending on your point of view).

In the first copies printed and distributed, an illustration on page 15 was not Wes, as labeled, but his older brother Joe.  The publisher later added in a slip with a real sketch of JWH. Some first editions have the slip and some don’t.

Reportedly, 1000 copies were printed—and more than half of them burned in a warehouse fire before they shipped.