{"product_id":"devil-john-wright-of-the-cumberlands-first-edition-1932-privately-printed-pound-virginia-with-early-appalachian-provenance","title":"Devil John Wright of the Cumberlands. First Edition, 1932. Privately Printed, Pound, Virginia. With Early Appalachian Provenance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDevil John Wright of the Cumberlands. First Edition, 1932. Privately Printed, Pound, Virginia. With Early Appalachian Provenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Wright, William T.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e William T. Wright, Pound, Virginia (printed by The Meador Press, Boston).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eYear:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e1932.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eEdition:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eFirst Edition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eBinding:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover (original black boards).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eCondition:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Very Good+ \/ Near Fine (see full description and images).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eDescription:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA scarce first edition of William T. Wright’s firsthand account of mountain life, clan feuds, frontier justice, and the career of his father, John Wesley “Devil John” Wright (1844–1931). Published privately by the author in Pound, Virginia, in 1932 and printed by The Meador Press, Boston. Octavo, 313 pages, illustrated throughout with original black-and-white photographic plates, including the frontispiece portrait “John W. Wright and His Mount” and a portrait of “Bad John Wright in Front of Whitesburg Jail.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDevil John Wright was a Confederate veteran, circus sharpshooter (with the Kentucky Giant Martin Van Buren Bates), Pinkerton and Baldwin-Felts detective, sheriff, federal officer, and relentless bounty hunter in the Kentucky–Virginia borderlands. The book covers his Civil War experiences, outlaw pursuits, moonshining culture, family life (he fathered roughly 35 children), and later years. It is an essential source for Appalachian history, Wright family genealogy, and the lawman\/outlaw lore of the Cumberlands. The character Devil Judd Tolliver in John Fox Jr.’s \u003cem\u003eThe Trail of the Lonesome Pine\u003c\/em\u003e was partly inspired by him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eNotable Provenance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis copy carries an early purple postmaster’s stamp and manuscript inscription on the front free endpaper: “GEO. W. ROBINSON, P. M. \/ RAVEN, VIRGINIA \/ JUN 13 1932,” with Robinson’s own signature dated the same day and the note “Good.” Raven is a small community in the same Appalachian region. A later reader’s note (“Read July 13, 1979… Good”) appears on the opposite flyleaf. These markings are clean and add meaningful regional authenticity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eCondition (see images)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"list-disc list-outside whitespace-normal ps-6 marker:text-secondary\" data-streamdown=\"unordered-list\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eOriginal black cloth boards, strong and clean, with bright gilt spine lettering.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eBinding tight and square; no significant lean.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eText block clean with natural, even age-toning typical of 1932 paper; no heavy foxing, staining, or moisture damage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eAll plates present and crisp, including the frontispiece and interior portraits.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eEndpapers show the early Robinson stamp\/inscription and the 1979 reading note only; no other ownership marks or damage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"py-1 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:inline\" data-streamdown=\"list-item\"\u003eNo odors, no ex-library marks, no significant wear to edges or corners.\u003cbr\u003eA well-preserved example of a privately printed regional first. (No dust jacket was issued or is present.)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"font-semibold\" data-streamdown=\"strong\"\u003eMarket Context\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrue 1932 first editions are scarce; most copies in the trade are the 1970 reprint (currently listed around $350).  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIdeal for collectors of Appalachian history, Kentucky–Virginia borderlands material, genealogy of the Wright family, or frontier justice narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e_________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA firsthand reminiscence of mountain life, clan feuds, and frontier justice in the Cumberlands — written by \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam T. Wright\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the \u003cstrong\u003e35 children\u003c\/strong\u003e of the legendary \u003cstrong\u003eJohn Wesley “Devil John” Wright (1844–1931)\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003erare 1932 first edition\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eprivately printed in Pound, Virginia\u003c\/strong\u003e, is the definitive biography of one of Appalachia’s most colorful figures: Confederate veteran, circus sharpshooter (with the Kentucky Giant), Pinkerton and Baldwin‑Felts detective, sheriff, federal marshal, and relentless bounty hunter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcross \u003cstrong\u003e313 pages\u003c\/strong\u003e, Wright vividly recounts Civil War adventures, outlaw pursuits, moonshining culture, family life (including his second wife Ellen), and Devil John’s later religious conversion. The volume is illustrated throughout with original black‑and‑white photographs, including a striking frontispiece of Wright on horseback and portraits from various stages of his life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chapter \u0026 Hearth Booksellers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48698942914697,"sku":"CH-0217","price":450.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/7519\/6809\/files\/PXL_20261016_133405094.jpg?v=1792158870","url":"https:\/\/chapterhearth.com\/products\/devil-john-wright-of-the-cumberlands-first-edition-1932-privately-printed-pound-virginia-with-early-appalachian-provenance","provider":"Chapter \u0026 Hearth Booksellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}