From the exhibition
Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 48
· August 14, 1878

Idaho Tom, The Young Outlaw of Silverland
This dime novel by Oll Coomes features Idaho Tom, a nineteen-year-old outlaw living around Nevada's Lake Tahoe region. Despite his criminal reputation, Tom is admired for his courage and kindness. Accompanied by his grayhound Lance, Tom discovers a beautifully crafted skiff on Silver Bay's shore and observes an Indian warrior attempting to steal it, only to be seized by some invisible force that drives him away in agony. Tom then spots a mysterious floating island in the bay's center, covered with vegetation and inhabited by civilized people in tents. When he attempts to enter the skiff to investigate, he experiences a violent shock that repels him. Shortly after, a terrified young woman flees past Tom's hiding place, pursued by a powerful Indian warrior. Tom intervenes, tripping the savage with his rifle and confronting him with a cocked revolver, establishing the adventure's central conflict.
Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain