The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit (1854) was published by John Rollin Ridge, writing as "Yellow Bird". It is considered to be one of the first novels written in California and the first novel to be published by a Native American.[1] The novel describes the life of a legendary bandit named Joaquín Murrieta who, once a dignified citizen of Mexico, becomes corrupt after traveling to California during the Gold Rush.
Published as a fictional biography, the book was taken as truth by many historians of the time.[2] The novel received mass attention and was translated to various European languages, including French and Spanish.[3] The novel was also highly plagiarized and Ridge never received the economic gain he hoped for.[4]
