8pp, 12.5 x 8 in. lined sheets. In Edward Z.C. Judson's ("Ned Buntline's") hand and signed Judson. Titled Anecdote of Frank Forrester, he begins with: Though much attatched [sic] to his adopted country, Henry W. Herbert, "Frank Forrester" was peculiarly sensitive in regard to his native land England. The writer found this out in a strange way. At a dinner party given by Col. Bill Porter (Spirit of the Times)and attended by several other artists and publishers (Pap Richard of the Times, Charley Elliot, the great portrait painter, Lewis Gaylord Clark, editor of the old Knickerbocker, Dempster the composer as well as Herbert and himself), songs and stories were shared in the post-dining relaxations. One of the party requested a story he had heard Judson relate previously, which he did. The story involved a French ship captured by an English ship, which in turn was captured by an American ship (the Constitution according to the story) during the War of 1812. Confiscating the French vessel's wine and brandy, the English captain offers some to the French captain. Then another ship is sighted. The English captain orders that the men drink some of the brandy to make them brave before the battle with the new vessel. Apparently this so offended Herbert - that Englishmen were thought to need brandy to be brave enough to fight - that he virtually challenged Judson to a duel the following day (If I thought Englishmen needed brandy to make them brave, I could be convinced to the contrary...). After Judson and his friends had a good laugh about it, amends were made and the friendship restored, but, Judson surely exaggerates, it ...could have been made a serious affair had either party been foolishly punctilious. Edward Zane Carroll Judson (1813-1886) is best known as a writer of "dime novels." He ran away to sea as a youngster, and later received a commission after saving the crew of another vessel. The pseudonym "Buntline" apparently stems from this period (it refers to a rope at the bottom of a square sail), and likely the story within the story does, also. Judson/Buntline sought out the characters of his day as subject material for his adventure stories. While trying to interview "Wild Bill" Hickok, he met William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Judson saw potential in Cody, and made him the hero of another dime novel - to rousing success. On a trip east, he convinced Cody to take part in a stage play. Judson/Buntline wrote Scouts of the Pairie, which starred Cody and "Texas Jack" Omohundro. After six months, the show closed, and Cody and Judson went their separate ways, but Cody realized that show business had real potential. He opened a new show (Scouts of the Plains) with the addition of Hickok which toured for years. Then a decade later (1883) he founded "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" and the rest is history. Cody's star was rising even as Buntline's was fading. Would there even have been a "Wild West" genre without Judson's encouragement? Judson did not live to see the phenomenal success of these shows. He died in 1886 of congestive heart failure. Henry William Herbert (1807 - 1858), "Frank Forester (Forrester)," came to America after graduating from Cambridge in 1830. Although he authored over a dozen novels and histories, he is best known for his sporting publications, and is sometimes cited as the first sports writer in America, including contributions to Porter's Spirit of the Times. Apparently he shared with many other "artistic personalities" a tendency toward depression, and committed suicide in 1858 after his wife left him after only a few weeks of marriage.
8pp, 12.5 x 8 in. lined sheets. In Edward Z.C. Judson's ("Ned Buntline's") hand and signed Judson. Titled Anecdote of Frank Forrester, he begins with: Though much attatched [sic] to his adopted country, Henry W. Herbert, "Frank Forrester" was peculiarly sensitive in regard to his native land England. The writer found this out in a strange way. At a dinner party given by Col. Bill Porter (Spirit of the Times)and attended by several other artists and publishers (Pap Richard of the Times, Charley Elliot, the great portrait painter, Lewis Gaylord Clark, editor of the old Knickerbocker, Dempster the composer as well as Herbert and himself), songs and stories were shared in the post-dining relaxations. One of the party requested a story he had heard Judson relate previously, which he did. The story involved a French ship captured by an English ship, which in turn was captured by an American ship (the Constitution according to the story) during the War of 1812. Confiscating the French vessel's wine and brandy, the English captain offers some to the French captain. Then another ship is sighted. The English captain orders that the men drink some of the brandy to make them brave before the battle with the new vessel. Apparently this so offended Herbert - that Englishmen were thought to need brandy to be brave enough to fight - that he virtually challenged Judson to a duel the following day (If I thought Englishmen needed brandy to make them brave, I could be convinced to the contrary...). After Judson and his friends had a good laugh about it, amends were made and the friendship restored, but, Judson surely exaggerates, it ...could have been made a serious affair had either party been foolishly punctilious. Edward Zane Carroll Judson (1813-1886) is best known as a writer of "dime novels." He ran away to sea as a youngster, and later received a commission after saving the crew of another vessel. The pseudonym "Buntline" apparently stems from this period (it refers to a rope at the bottom of a square sail), and likely the story within the story does, also. Judson/Buntline sought out the characters of his day as subject material for his adventure stories. While trying to interview "Wild Bill" Hickok, he met William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Judson saw potential in Cody, and made him the hero of another dime novel - to rousing success. On a trip east, he convinced Cody to take part in a stage play. Judson/Buntline wrote Scouts of the Pairie, which starred Cody and "Texas Jack" Omohundro. After six months, the show closed, and Cody and Judson went their separate ways, but Cody realized that show business had real potential. He opened a new show (Scouts of the Plains) with the addition of Hickok which toured for years. Then a decade later (1883) he founded "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" and the rest is history. Cody's star was rising even as Buntline's was fading. Would there even have been a "Wild West" genre without Judson's encouragement? Judson did not live to see the phenomenal success of these shows. He died in 1886 of congestive heart failure. Henry William Herbert (1807 - 1858), "Frank Forester (Forrester)," came to America after graduating from Cambridge in 1830. Although he authored over a dozen novels and histories, he is best known for his sporting publications, and is sometimes cited as the first sports writer in America, including contributions to Porter's Spirit of the Times. Apparently he shared with many other "artistic personalities" a tendency toward depression, and committed suicide in 1858 after his wife left him after only a few weeks of marriage.
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