Shanghai Pierce: A Fair Likeness

by Chris Emmett, Nick Eggenhofer (Illustrator)

“I am Shanghai Pierce, Webster in Cattle, by God, Sir.” And, in truth, he was. Part rascal, part gentleman, part poseur, part just himself—of all the colorful Texas figures following the Civil War none was as loud, garish, and funny as Shanghai Pierce, who left Rhode Island penniless and became one of the Big Pasture Men of southern Texas.

At six foot, four, Shanghai Pierce was big, rich, and selfish, but he could also be kind. His cunning was seldom matched, and business, whether it involved a quarter-million-dollar loan or a twenty-five cent pair of socks, was his lifeblood.

In re-creating the life of Abel Head (“Shanghai”) Pierce, Chris Emmett unfolds the entire dramatic spectacle of the time and place in which Pierce lived. An arresting figure, Pierce was a symbol of his era. His statue, which he himself erected in Hawley, Texas, is still a perfect memorial to, and a reminder of, westward-moving America. Shanghai Pierce was a man who pulled up his roots and fled to the West, where he found there was ample room and opportunity.

362 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting as a poor boy from Rhode Island, Shanghai Pierce became one the the nineteenth century's robber barrons. While cruel and vindictive to enemies he tried to be kind to family. This larger than life figure resemblees the central character in John Wayne's "Chisum". The author included many of the short written papers of Pierce.