The Oil Prince

Karl May's works have shaped a uniquely European version of the post-Civil war American West. Rarely out of print since the late 1890s. his beloved novels are a true phenomenon in Europe and have been adapted for the stage, movies, and comic books. In The Oil Prince (Der Olprinz) May created another multicultural adventure full of excitement, villainy, and courage--sprinkled throughout with a Germanic twinkle of comic relief. Beautifully illustrated, this action-packed "travel" tale is set in the late 1860s in Old Arizona where danger abounds and survival is dependent on having the fastest draw and the sharpest wits. This Teutonic take on the Wild West features May's revered hero, Old Shatterhand, his Apache blood brother Chief Winnetou, ruthless bandits, Indian tribes on the warpath, a band of naive German immigrants, and a dangerous crook ("the Oil Prince") who intends to con a fortune from a gullible banker. The Oil Prince is a companion piece to Winnetou, translated by David Koblick and published by the WSU Press in 1999.