Zebra Zack

This is a catalog of Beadle and Adams publishing catalogs and handbooks, followed by the opening chapter of Zebra Zack; or, The Wild Texan's Mission by W. J. Hamilton. The publication includes lists of Beadle and Adams' "Dime" instructional series—covering elocution, dialogues, etiquette, letter-writing, and practical guides on cooking, chess, croquet, and beauty. The serialized narrative proper begins with "Zebra Zack" Chapter I, set on a Texas prairie in 1846, introducing the title character as a pale, heavily-bearded ranger mounted on a zebra-striped mustang. Seeking vengeance for fallen Texan fighters, Zack encounters two Mexican officers, Carlos Mendoza and Raphael Gozo, and challenges them to single combat with his bowie knife against their swords. During the confrontation, Zack fatally wounds Gozo and pursues the fleeing Mendoza across the moonlit plain.