{"product_id":"reckless-ralphs-twenty-five-cent-novel-library-no-2-1935-emmett-dalton-signed","title":"Reckless Ralph's Twenty-Five Cent Novel Library No. 2; Featuring \"Prison Delivery\" by Emmett Dalton; Signed by Emmett and Julia Dalton","description":"\u003cp\u003e(\u003cspan class=\"citation-503\"\u003eCrime and Punishment, Western Americana, Dime Novels and Fanzines) DALTON, Emmett; CUMMINGS, Ralph F. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-503 citation-end-503\"\u003eRECKLESS RALPH'S TWENTY-FIVE CENT NOVEL LIBRARY NO. 2; FEATURING \"PRISON DELIVERY\" BY EMMETT DALTON; SIGNED BY EMMETT AND JULIA DALTON ON THE FRONT WRAPPE\u003csup class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eR\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-485 citation-486 citation-487\"\u003eGrafton, Mass.: Ralph F. Cummings, 1935. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-485 citation-486 citation-487\"\u003eFIRST EDITION\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-485 citation-486 citation-487 citation-end-487\"\u003e. 8vo - 8-5\/16\" x 5-7\u003csup class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-485 citation-486 citation-end-486\"\u003e\u003csup class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-485 citation-end-485\"\u003e\/16\". Origin\u003csup class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-484 citation-end-484\"\u003e\u003csup class=\"superscript embedded\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eal printed yellow paper wrappers, staple-bound and laid in wrappers as issued. 8 pp. Signed in ink on the front wrapper by former Old West outlaw Emmett Dalton and his wife, Julia Dalton. \u003cstrong\u003eAccompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from PSA\/DNA Authentication Services\u003c\/strong\u003e (Certification Number: AL04813). The physical condition of the item is graded \u003cstrong\u003eNEAR FINE\u003c\/strong\u003e (utilizing the standard antiquarian book grading scale for works on paper). Wrappers exhibit minor toning along the spine and lower edge of the rear panel, with a few light stray marks and minor signs of handling, remaining remarkably well-preserved, clean, and structurally sound throughout. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOutlaw Criminology and Early Dime Novel Fanzine Publishing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSelf-published by Ralph F. Cummings, \u003ci\u003eReckless Ralph's Twenty-Five Cent Novel Library\u003c\/i\u003e stands as an early pioneering fanzine dedicated to the preservation, history, and collecting of nineteenth-century American dime novels, nickel libraries, and story papers. The feature piece of this issue, \"Prison Delivery,\" was authored by Emmett Dalton—the sole surviving member of the notorious Dalton Gang following their disastrous October 5, 1892 dual bank robbery attempt in Coffeyville, Kansas. After surviving 23 gunshot wounds and serving 14 years in the Kansas State Penitentiary at Lansing prior to his gubernatorial pardon, Dalton repurposed his firsthand experience into a reformist critique of American penal policy. In \"Prison Delivery,\" Dalton offers pragmatic observations on rehabilitation and reintegration for the hundreds of thousands of individuals released annually from confinement. The issue additionally features publisher Ralph F. Cummings' commentary on popular juvenile fiction, \"Two Remarkable Heroes: The Deadwood Dicks, Senor and Junior, Are the Gentlemen.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eInstitutional Census, Provenance, and Market Scarcity\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiven the fragile pamphlet format and small-scale self-publication by Cummings, original issues of this early collecting periodical are notably scarce in any condition, with signed association copies from Dalton extremely rare. A current global sweep of the \u003cstrong\u003eOCLC\/WorldCat database locates only 7 copies\u003c\/strong\u003e preserved in institutional special collections worldwide. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHIS RARE 1935 DIME NOVEL FANZINE FEATURING OUTLAW REFORM WRITINGS AND ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS OF EMMETT AND JULIA DALTON REPRESENTS A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF WESTERN AMERICANA, CRIMINOLOGY AND PENAL REFORM, OR AMERICAN POPULAR LITERATURE.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e# 001138\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42431482429589,"sku":null,"price":3250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0459\/2589\/2245\/products\/recklessralph.01.20220611.jpg?v=1655663511","url":"https:\/\/wallaceandclark.com\/products\/reckless-ralphs-twenty-five-cent-novel-library-no-2-1935-emmett-dalton-signed","provider":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}