The Life of John Wesley Hardin As Written by Himself

by John Wesley Hardin, Robert G. McCubbin (Introduction)

In an era and an area notable for badmen and gunslingers, John Wesley Hardin was perhaps the most notorious. Considered by many of his contemporaries to be almost illiterate, he nevertheless left for publication after his death in 1895 this autobiography, which, though biased, is remarkably accurate and readable. Hardin was born in 1853 in Bonham, Texas, the son of a Methodist preacher. His first brush with the law came at the age of fifteen when he killed a Negro during an altercation typical of the strife-torn Reconstruction era. In the ten years between his first killing in 1868 and his final capture and imprisonment, he killed more than a score of men in personal combat and became the "most wanted" fugitive of his time.  

Genres: Biography, History, Crime, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Westerns, True Crime

172 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1886

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting from an historical perspective, but not a terribly compelling tale. Chronicles a whole list of killings by Hardin, with his justifications indicated, and reveals some of his hatreds. I'm not sure exactly how much to believe. It seems like a lot of it was probably self-serving. A couple of historical things of interest included how he describes his weapons, mostly as "Colt 45s" and as cap and ball pistols. He also talked about being on cattle drives and how there were many all "Mexican" herds as he describes. Some of the documents at the end of the book were his pardon and stuff about his shooting, and these were quite interesting.

[Angela Leivesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not Finish
This is the only book to have defeated me since 2016. I got half way through and, though its only a short book, I was so bored I couldn't go on. I had started it wanting to learn more about the time when it was set but all it seemed to be was a nasty little man travelling from place to place and shooting people. He didn't even have the excuse of coming from poverty or a dysfunctional family!

[Adrianne Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might remember John Wesley Hardin from those Time Life advertizements that claim he shot a man for snoring too loud. (Well who has stayed in a youth hostel dorm and not wanted to do that?)Anway, I found out that of all the gunslingers of the old west, he's the only one that wrote his memoirs so of course I wanted to read it.

First of all, there is some controversy as to whether he actually penned the book, but after comparing the writing to letters he wrote his wife, I believe he did. After all, the guy shot a bunch of people, got pardoned and then became a lawyer. He had to have had some brains.

Now, huge spoiler alert - If you are a fan of gunslingers and like to think of them as cool desperados, stop reading immediately.***

My gods the old cowboys sound like a bunch of tantrum throwing babies. Hardin doesn't mean to depict himself, Wild Bill and numerous others as blood thirsty ten-year olds with six-shooters, but that's how they come off. For example, Hardin is in a bar, someone makes a comment against Texas, says he is from Texas and willing to fight, the other guy stands up and (according to Hardin) goes for his gun, Hardin goes for his gun and shoots the guy between the eyes. (Hardin was always shooting people dead between the eyes or straignt in the heart, according to Hardin...) Really? Shot a guy for poking fun of Texas? Seriously? Holy hell! Think of what would have happened if these boys had the internet.

I did find the book of historical interest. A lot of the gunslingers came to trouble in the reconstructionist South and I thought there was some information for history buffs although I'm not sure I'll be able to watch another Hollywood wester without cracking a smile (for which JW Hardin would probably want to shoot me between the eyes).

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific because it is the only known auto-biography of an old west gunfighter. Also very cool to read because he's my cousin. I have an original copy and there is stuff the U of OK did not include.

[Sipovic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Автобиография знаменитого стрелка Джона Уэсли Хардинга, написанная им во время отсидки в формате "украл-выпил-в тюрьму" нудным слогом милицейского протокола, определённо представляющая некоторую ценность, но не совсем понять для кого именно: историкам, которые устанут отковыривать факты от выдумок автора, юристам, которым человек, стрелявший в каждого, кто посмотрит на него косо, приводит аргумент "самооборона" или психиатрам, для которых Хардинг пропитал страницы своим эго и комплексами. Как художественное произведение - это очень скучно.

[Malanie Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up hearing stories with the claim that my family was related to John Wesley Hardin. In the 1970's, I found the autobiography, published by the University of Oklahoma, with an introduction by Robert G. McCubbin. Since then, I have done my family genealogy. He is a cousin.

Descended from Huguenots, the Hardins came from Greyson, Virginia to Boonesville, Kentucky after the Revolutionary War. They spread out from there, many going further South. He must have been an anomaly because the Hardin family is filled with gentle, hard working people, many of whom fought on the side of the North during the Civil War. His narrative is filled with a blinding prejudice, both for African Americans and women. You do get a sense of strong family ties; his father and brothers did not abandon him; one brother lost his life because of him.

All the stories I heard as a child are in the book. It is not written in literary prose, but has great value as an historical piece about the tumultuous time directly following the Civil War. It is representative of the general Southern feeling of resentment of freed slaves and for the period of Reconstruction. It is the stuff of cowboy Westerns, both movies and television of the mid Twentieth Century, told with a big dose of hubris.

[Cassia]

I really loved this book. Reading his point of view on how he lived and other's point of view was really interesting. And it was never boring. It was always exciting in some way. I love western anything so reading about the western way of things was awesome.

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's 153 pages in this book. I would approximate that Hardin killed 2 people per page.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously I had heard of John Wesley Hardin, but didn't actually know much about him. This book having been written by him whilst he was imprisoned, helped me to know more , not just about him but also the state of the country at this time. Hardin was one of the well educated men of this time, and he was a one time a teacher, although not for long. According to him he only shot and killed men who upset him, or threatened him, but it would seem he could easily be upset, as he gambled , drunk, involved himself in business ventures, run cows to market, and quarreled his way across the country. As it is his memoir he obviously felt that each killing was purely a necessity. He eventually completed his 25 years imprisonment and ended being killed by a shot to the back of his head, thus giving him no defense. I don't see this as a spoiler as it is a fact of history.
I enjoyed the book as it told me a lot about the history of the times in the USA, having only seen Western Films , which tended to glamorize the life of cowboys. However it was written in a very flat way, monotone way.

[Andy Horton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting as a historical document. Hardin relates his life as a series of business ventures, gambling sessions, horse rides, quarrels and killings, with no real change of flat, matter-of-fact tone between them. His version presents himself as always the wronged party.
Between the lines, you can see a psychopathic quarrelsome drifter with a chip on his shoulder, reacting to almost every conflict in his life with lethal violence.

[Jim McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly self-serving, it is still interesting to read the thoughts of a Southerner in the post-Civil War South. His life, with its violence and racism, is not one we can relate to directly, but it is interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who lived in the times of our grandparents and great-grandparents. What a different world it was!

It is also interesting to read about his code of ethics (e.g., he has no problem shooting to death someone in front of him but refused to shoot someone in the back). (It is ironic, therefore, to read his life story and see that he was killed by being shot in the back.)

[Danielle Laman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like said elsewhere, a fascinating historical text and a deep dive into one mans life of crime and killing. However a rough read to get through, kinda blurs together by the end with some interesting tales in between. Still recommended for those who have a taste of the wild west and want to hear a tale from a genuine if dangerous article.

[billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!!!

I have heard of J.W. Hardin but never heard of his life. This was a great history lesson. The man lived in some truly wild times. The lawmen of that time were as bad as the outlaws and today is not much different. It takes a bad man to face a bad man though.

[Mike Wigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardin’s account of his life was fairly self serving. By his lights he was a model of fairness and decency, loved by all. Although it’s apparently been done before I believe the life of John Wesley Hardin would make a hell of a movie if done well.

[Reg Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just not enjoyable reading

The dialogue was not very interesting. John should have gone into more detail. There were too many names to remember and John had too many relatives......

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading

It was interesting to read how casually life was taken 140 years ago. How lawmen were no better and often worse than the people who were considered criminals.

[Zane Sterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Read

A book worth reading. Not written in a very interesting way, but it tells a lot of story. Supposed to be true...not sure how accurate that statement is?

[Steve Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting true account.

An interesting insight into an icon of the Wild West.
Well worth a read.
Recommended reading for those interested in American history.

[jj Grilliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography, so he was innocent or justified in a lot instances. Still a good read to see how he thought of himself

[Vince Pillig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not realize all of Hardings endeavors.

Did not know that he served 25 years and became an attorney. If he did half the things he claims to have done he led quite a life.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wes Hardin'Hardin' own story

A bit hard to follow 150 year old writing styr, but a good read....But worth the effort' for any firsthand tales of the old west:

[James Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

[パラダイム 2 0 7 0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting read, but the random misspellings of words, some with numbers and dashes in them, really throw you off.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite an interesting character. The autobiography seems to be one long run-on sentence. Definitely a braggart with little conscience for the lives he took.

[Katinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review posted at:
http://www.momkatreads.com/2017/12/th...

[The Bauchler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way back 'in the day' I got into Bob Dylan BIG TIME.

I borrowed many of his cassettes from my local library (which shows how long ago 'the day' was) and they had one of his early albums - called 'John Wesley Harding'*.

It was a great album but I never got round to finding out who John Wesley Hardin(g) was.

I saw this and decided to read it - and now I know.

He was an un-apologetic, gunslinging, racist killer.

I couldn't see much heroic or honourable in his life story. He was certainly no Robin Hood and I think he's an odd choice for Dylan to glamourise by naming an album after him.

(Wrongly, it seems - as there was no 'g' at the end of Hardin, Bob).

I wonder if it's that he represented the idea of the uncompromising, independent, proud and self-sufficient man that Americans often seem to revere.

This memoir is, perhaps unsurprisingly, self-serving; he comes across as self-righteous and ALWAYS in the right.

The book does offer many insights into life in the wilder parts of the US in the mid-19th century and these are fascinating, but it quickly becomes a list of people who wronged him/attacked him/tried to arrest him that he killed, and the accompanying justifications or protestations of innocence.

I'm really glad I read it, but it is not a good book to read.


*Interesting associated fact: The leather-clad rock band Judas Priest (with Tim-Brooke-Taylor/Uncle Albert look-alike Rob Halford) took their name from the last track of this album - true story:)

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

My paperback is from further back. Part of The Golden West Series from Leisure Books. No date is given but a previous owner penciled in July 1983. So far it's a pretty grim story of a teenager wandering around SE Texas post Civil War and getting into trouble. Mostly he gambles, races horses and kills lots of people. I'd say about ten so far and he's not even 18 years old! He has a lot of friends and relatives that he visits for help and hiding from the law. So far no sign of the "friend to the poor" that Bob Dylan describes in "John Wesley Harding" but the narrator seems to never kill anyone without justification... usually to defend himself. Truthful? Hmmmmm...?

The beat goes on... Apparently Mr. Hardin's not going to stop killing people until he goes to jail. I think that's coming up soon. His life after jail will be much more sedate I think. One might ask about the literary value of this book. It certainly has at least some historical value but as literature it reads kind of like a flat "Red Harvest". Makes me wonder if Dashiell Hammett read this...

Well, so much for Mr. Hardin. Live by - die by with some prison time in between. A Texas historian's perspective would have been helpful to sort out any legitimate political underpinnings of Mr. Hardin's righteous claims of self-defense. 2.75* for this one-of-a-kind book.

[Steven jb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This autobiography reports the events in John Wesley Hardin's life from his teenage years up to his imprisonment. It is a fascinating book in that it is an autobiography and reports events from a very interesting part of American history. There is no self reflection or insights offered. Sometimes I could read into what the author was reporting such as when a girl flirts with him and he speaks of his wife, thereby boasting of his attractiveness to women to the reader, but also reporting his faithfulness and love of his wife, saying this by showing instead of stating. I wish Mr. Hardin had reflected more on himself and those around him as well as providing more descriptions of what his life was like beyond the fact that he gambled, raced horses, or shot a guy. Despite its flaws, I thought it was a worthwhile read.

[Steve Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this highly dubious account of his life, John Wesley Hardin goes out of his way to make himself look less the psychopathic killer that he was, and more the victim. Some of what Hardin writes is undoubtedly true, or rooted in truth, but much of it is suspect. To hear him tell it, he never killed a man that didn't need killing. In truth he shot a man for snoring too loudly, and in the version I read of this account he revised it to have the man sneaking into his room late at night looking to kill him.

To hear Hardin tell it, he knew and befriended every desperado who lived in his region. He's an incredible name-dropper.

Should you read this book? Absolutely! Even if it some of it is spurious it is still engaging, and gives the reader a look into the past. Besides, it's free online if you can find a good copy.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hardin took himself very seriously. This is a very dry recitation of murders and roamings. It may be silly to expect humor or insight in an outlaw's autobiography, colorful movie murderers have skewed expectations I guess. This book is terribly boring. If you are curious about the period and the region there is little departure from the hackwork of fictional nickel westerns of the time.

Hardin was given a pardon from Governor Hogg for all of his killings.

Recently, in my hometown, noted country musician Billy Joe Shaver was acquitted of charges involving his shooting a man in the face outside of a bar. He was not licensed to carry the firearm. The man he shot survived. I don't know why I mention it. It seems to relate to this somehow.