Jesse James: The Man and The Myth

by Marley Brant

Confederate guerrilla. Bank robber. Cold-blooded killer. Jesse James was all of these, but still, most of his life remains a mystery. Now Marley Brant, author of the acclaimed biography The Outlaw Youngers, sets the record straight, painting a portrait of a man obsessed with rebellion, loyalty, and an irrepressible need to be known. He loved as intensely as he hated. And in his eyes, the war between the states would never be over.

From his obscure childhood to his explosive career during the Civil War to his earning the reputation as the country's most notorious bandit, Jesse James brings you the facts and dispels the fiction. Once and for all, we can finally know the man and the myth.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, Westerns, True Crime, Civil War

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Marley Brant has been employed in the entertainment industry as a biographical writer, publicist, music and television producer and artist development executive. Marley's non-fiction books have been featured in People Magazine and the New York Times, been the basis for programs on VH1 and A&E, and served as the primary research for hours of television on the History channel, TBS, CMT, the Biography channel and PBS.

Marley's entertainment affiliations are extensive. She has worked with a wide variety of music artists, directors and actors, as well as numerous television, radio and film productions. After working for the managers of musicians Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon, Marley was appointed Assistant National Director of Artist Development and Publicity/Artist Relations and Tour Coordination with the fast-growing international record company Chrysalis Records. While at Chrysalis she was involved with the development, publicity and national tours of such acts as Jethro Tull, Robin Trower, UFO, Steve Hackett, Leo Kottke, Split Enz, Steeleye Span, Bonnie Tyler, Blondie, The Babys, Rory Gallagher, Nick Gilder and the Frankie Miller Band.

Marley took the position of Director of Publicity and Public Relations for radio syndicator Watermark, Inc. where she worked with the radio programs "American Top 40 with Casey Kasem", "American Country Countdown", "Alien Worlds" and "The Robert W. Morgan Special of the Week."

Desiring to expand into television, Marley's next position was as assistant to the National Director of Publicity for Paramount Television. She worked with the casts and crews of Paramount's stellar programs Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Taxi, Bosom Buddies, Bad News Bears and The Associates, among others. One of her opportunities was working with NBC-TV and author James Clavell for Paramount's presentation of the groundbreaking mini-series "Shogun".

Entering into the multi-media world of international publicity firm ICPR, Marley was involved in the media presentations of features such as "Rich and Famous", "Taps", All the Marbles", "Stripes", "Clash of the Titans", "Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder" and "Missing". She also worked with the producers of the mini-series "Marco Polo", "Peter and Paul" and "The Marva Collins Story". Always anxious to be involved with music entities, Marley was appointed executive-in-charge of the television programs Fame, Solid Gold, The Tom Jones Show, and Country Comes Home. She was part of a team that worked with the corporate accounts of Motown Productions, Youngstreet Program Services, Viacom Enterprises, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Proctor & Gamble and several individual celebrity personalities.

Marley decided to free-lance in 1982. She authored magazine articles, edited album packages, wrote and edited music artist biographies, press kits and liner notes. In 1982 Marley co-produced (with John Delgatto) the album "Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, Live 1973"; Gram and Emmylou Harris were nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" for "Love Hurts", a track on the album. In 1993 Marley served as Co-creator, Associate Producer and Historical Consultant on "Outlaws, Rebels & Rogues", the first installment of Turner Broadcasting System's three-night television series The Untold West.

Reviews

[Doug DePew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a growing collection of books related to the guerilla war in Missouri and bushwhacker's. This book will become a permanent member of it. I enjoyed reading it.

This is a well written book that flows. The narrative stayed interesting to the very end. It examines a lot of things that were claimed about the James brother and Jesse in particular with a critical eye. Many possible myths are explored as well as some facts somewhat confirmed. It tells more about Jesse's family than I've seen in other books and follows his many moves admirably.

This book does not talk about the war and Jesse's participation as much as I would have liked nor does it include a whole lot of new information about his outlaw exploits. It's not the best book I've read on Jesse James, but it is worth reading. It has a new home on my bookshelf.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a descendent of the James family, i found this book completely enthralling and hard to put down, i have skimmed other books on Jesse but this was the first one i found sufficient and objective enough to make it worth reading. very factually based writing, nothing fancy here, Brant has done tons of research and it shows! great book but only for those who are interested in the facts, if you are looking for a fun and uplifting story or high caliber writing, you will not find it here.

[Ryan Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book

Enjoyed learning about Jesse James and life after the Civil War.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, although a lot of "legends" were discussed that weren't proven or disproved.

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

We will never know. The truth about Jesse James.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marley Brant did an absolutely exceptional job in researching and writing this book. This is the best book on Jesse James I have ever read. This book is an integral study of Jesse which separates fact from fiction. As a distant cousin of Jesse, I am both thrilled and proud that Brant treated Jesse in such a fair and unbiased manner. While Brant does not sugarcoat Jesse's criminal activities; neither is Jesse demonized. Instead, Jesse's family background is brought to light and the reasons for his actions are studied. One certainly wonders at what Jesse WOULD HAVE BEEN like if his father, the kind-hearted preacher, hadn't died when Jesse was a child. When the despicable actions of John Brown and others lead to "Bloody Kansas", nearby Missouri, of course, also suffers. Numerous, innocent families, including children, who were simply trying to survive, were attacked, beaten, and many times killed. As a boy, Jesse "was chased through the field at bayonet point until finally caught. He was then thrashed to a bloody pulp with a rope," by Union soldiers. They also hanged Jesse's stepfather, hoisting him up a tree with a rope around his neck four times, trying to get information about Frank James. Many people do not want to face the atrocities committed by Union soldiers during the War Between the States, but the evidence exists. One must remember "to the victor go the spoils of war" and, of course, the telling of history. Jesse, naturally, reacted to the ill-treatment he had received. After the war, the James family continued to be harassed by the government and other carpetbaggers. In addition to this, the railroad companies began "railroading" people off their farms. So, Jesse chose his revenge. He targeted the banks where the carpetbaggers kept their money and the trains which carried it. Certainly, one cannot condone everything Jesse did, but what he did can certainly be understood, and his reasons for doing so can be understood. Read the book and get acquianted with the man Jesse James and his family. Besides getting to know the James family, this is a very informative book on the history of this tumultous era in America's history. You won't be disappointed.