Description
Atomic Books Inc., New York. Published date: 1946. Softcover; 128 pp; 19 cm. First edition. Original illustrated paper wrappers.
Rare, out-of-print & unusual books · Since 1997
116
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Catalog notes
Condition & notes
In acceptable condition. Covers show moderate overall age toning, edge wear, small creases, surface scuffing and chipping, and light soiling; spine rubbed with wear at ends but remains intact. Binding sound. Interior pages uniformly age toned with scattered light foxing and minor spotting. Small distributor stamp on title page reading Zamoras News Service, El Paso, Texas. Otherwise pages are unmarked. Popular mid twentieth century reissue of Pat F. Garretts original account of Billy the Kid, presented for a mass market audience as part of the American Folk-lore and Humor series. Garrett, the sheriff who killed Billy the Kid, offers a narrative combining biography, regional history, and firsthand recollection of violence and lawlessness in southeastern New Mexico during the Lincoln County War era. This edition includes a foreword by John M. Scanland and editorial shaping by Jacob Brussel, framing the text as both historical document and developing American folklore. The work reflects changing interpretations of frontier crime, heroism, and mythmaking in postwar popular publishing. Atomic Books, Inc. was a short lived New York paperback publisher active primarily in the immediate post World War II period, roughly 1945 to 1947. The company specialized in inexpensive mass market paperbacks priced at 25 cents, aimed at newsstand distribution rather than bookstore trade.