Item - Old Avoirdupois; or, Steel Coat, the Apache Terror

(Beadle's Dime Novels edition - source: NIU Libraries)

(Beadle's New Dime Novels edition - source: NIU Libraries)

Combined Summary

Online Full Text:	Northern Illinois University (Beadle's Dime Novels edition) Northern Illinois University (Beadle's New Dime Novels edition)
Series:	Beadle's Dime Novels — no. 257 Beadle's New Dime Novels — no. 84
Subjects / Tags:	Adventure stories Apache Indians Boys Earthquakes Love stories New Mexico Texas Western stories
Author:	Hamilton, W. J., 1843-1892 (pseudonym used by Clark, Charles Dunning, 1843-1892)
Dates:	June 4, 1872 (Beadle's Dime Novels edition) February 5, 1878 (Beadle's New Dime Novels edition)
Publishers:	Beadle's Dime Novels edition: Beadle and Company (New York (N.Y.): 98 William St.) -- United States Beadle's New Dime Novels edition: Beadle and Adams (1872-1898) (New York (N.Y.): No. 98 William Street) -- United States
OCLC Numbers:	123355536 (Beadle's Dime Novels edition) 124506574 (Beadle's New Dime Novels edition)
ENGL 330 Spring 2018's Thoughts:	"Old Avoirdupois is an adventure story about a band of white hunters. Main characters include Avoirdupois (heaviness), the large straight-shooter seeking revenge for his family’s death; Captain Jim, the youth eager for risk and freedom; Duke Darrall, the handsome and passionate seeker of justice; Big Sam, the reliable leader of the hunters; and Wina, the lovely and compassionate Indian girl who is also daughter to the chief. The group takes on Steel Coat, the Apache chief and Wina’s father, and his tribe of warriors, who are relentless in their determination to take out the white hunters. Old Avoirdupois explores what dangers pioneers faced on the American frontier after the Civil War, the cycle of violence that begins when one takes a life, and whether it is nature or nurture that truly determines one’s character. Never a moment without action, the battle between the two forces of the Apaches and hunters rages from start to finish across the prairie, using all manner of American natural forces as aids and weapons: rivers, hillocks, earthquakes, and prairie fires. Clever plots, daring fights, heartwarming romance, and lost connections regained once again leave a complete and happy ending for everyone."--Robin Grooms, undergraduate student at NIU enrolled in ENGL 330, Spring 2018 More reviews by ENGL 330 Spring 2018