The Golden Butterfly (1876) is a novel by Walter Besant and James Rice. Their fifth novel perhaps marks the zenith of their collaborative powers, capturing the spirit of adventure that defined the mythology of the American West. Epic and entertaining, The Golden Butterfly is a captivating tale for all audiences. “He was a thin man, about five and forty years of age; he wore an irregular and patchy kind of beard, which flourished exceedingly on certain square half-inches of chin and cheek, and was as thin as grass at Aden on the intervening spaces. He had no boots; but a sort of moccasins, the lightness of which enabled him to show his heels to the bear for so long a time.” Gilead P. Beck is a fortunate man. Only moments away from losing his life to a voracious grizzly bear, a company of English prospectors happens to spot him running through the brush. With two shots, they drop the beast, rescuing Gilead and earning his undying gratitude. Together, they continue toward the newly established Empire City, where fortune or failure awaits every man at the edge of the American West. This edition of Walter Besant and James Rice’s The Golden Butterfly is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.