From New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian John Boessenecker, an "entertaining, well-researched foray" ( Kirkus Reviews ) into the decades of Black Bart, the Wild West's most mysterious gentleman bandit. Black Bart, widely regarded today as the best-behaved stage robber of the Old West, held up at least twenty-nine stagecoaches in California and Oregon with mild, polite commands, never robbing a passenger. Such behavior earned him the title of a true "gentleman bandit." His real name was Charles E. Boles, and he was an educated man who did not drink, fight or consort with prostitutes. His true calling as America's greatest stage robber was never suspected. Legends and rumors trailed his name until his mysterious death, and his ultimate fate remains one of the greatest mysteries of the Old West. Now historian John Boessenecker sheds new light on Black Bart's beginnings, reputation and exploits, bringing to life the glittering story of the mysterious stage robber who doubled as a rich, genteel socialite in the golden era of the Wild West.

"A fascinating account of an enigmatic criminal." -- Booklist "Pure literary gold." -- True West Magazine.