Curse of Capistrano

The book that launched a legend. Johnston McCulley created Zorro in 1919, and the character would go on to influence everyone from Batman to James Bond. But the original still crackles with pulp energy and colonial California intrigue. In Spanish California, a masked rider called Zorro (the fox) strikes from the shadows against corrupt officials and oppressive landowners. He also happens to be the foppish, wealthy Don Diego Vega - a disguise so perfect that even the woman he loves doesn't know the truth until the final act. Lolita's father demands she marry Don Diego, never suspecting he's riding nights as the outlaw who defies the governor himself. Sergeant Gonzales closes in, swords flash, and justice rides on horseback. This is the birth of the masked avenger: witty, deadly, and always one step ahead. It invented a thousand tropes without ever feeling dated. For anyone who loves swashbuckling adventure, clever deceptions, and heroes who fight with both blade and brain.