Ride the Razor's Edge

Book excerpt: Follow the legendary adventures of two of the Wild West’s most notorious outlaws in this historical biography. Like their partners in crime Frank and Jesse James, the Younger Brothers have been glorified in the lore of the Wild West. Famous for their daring train and bank robberies, and immortalized in the film The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, the Younger brothers—Cole, James, John, and Bob—came to symbolize the grit and cunning of the nineteenth century frontier. Ride the Razor’s Edge chronicles their adventures while placing them in their wider historical context. From fighting in the Civil War alongside William Quantrill and his band of guerrillas to their famous raid in Lawrence, Kansas, to their first bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri, the Youngers became heroes of the people—and foes of their state. Using family archives, personal letters, and interviews with surviving family, author Carl W. Breihan presents an authoritative and captivating story from their days with the Confederacy to Cole’s and James’s years in a Minnesota prison, and Cole Younger's fight to adapt to life after his pardon.