The Life and Adventures of Joaqu? Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit - Paperback

by John Rollin Ridge (Author), Diana Gabaldon (Foreword by), Hsuan L. Hsu (Introduction by)

The first novel to feature a Mexican American hero: an adventure tale about Mexicans rising up against U.S. rule in California, based on the real-life bandit who inspired the creation of Zorro, the Lone Ranger, and Batman

With a new foreword by Diana Gabaldon, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone and the rest of the Outlander series

A Penguin Classic

An action-packed blend of folk tale, romance, epic, and myth, The Life and Adventures of Joaqu? Murieta tells the story of the Gold Rush-era Mexican immigrant Joaqu? Murieta, whose efforts to find fortune and happiness are thwarted by white settlers who murder his family and drive him off his land. In retaliation, Murieta organizes a band of more than 2,000 outlaws--including the sadistic "Three-Fingered Jack"--who take revenge by murdering, stealing horses, and robbing miners, all with the ultimate goal of reconquering California.

The first novel written by a Native American and the first novel published in California, The Life and Adventures of Joaqu? Murieta speaks to the ways in which ethical questions of national security and racialized police violence have long been a part of U.S. history. This edition features excerpts from popular rewritings of the novel, including Johnston McCulley's first novel about Zorro, The Curse of Capistrano (also known as The Mark of Zorro).

For more than seventy-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 2,000 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Author Biography

John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867), also known as Yellow Bird, was born in Georgia to a Cherokee father, who was murdered by a Cherokee leader for having supported the treaty that led to the Trail of Tears. After killing a man who had stolen his horse, Ridge fled to California, where he identified with Mexican Americans who had been displaced from their land by white settlers. He wrote for the San Francisco Herald, among other publications, and was the first editor of the Sacramento Bee. His only novel, The Life and Adventures of Joaqu? Murieta, was published in 1854.
Hsuan L. Hsu (editor/introducer) is a professor of English at the University of California, Davis.
Diana Gabaldon (foreword) is the author of the multimillion-copy #1 New York Times bestselling Outlander series. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband.