Frederick Schiller Faust (1892-1944) was an American author best known for his thoughtful Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. Prolific in many genres, he wrote historical novels, detective mysteries, pulp fiction stories and many more. In his first western tale, „Above the Law"... Max Brand, villain, the bandit Black Jim, has the books of Scott, Shakespeare, Poe, Byron, Malory at his bunk. Poetic passages are found in practically every Max story. Black Jim loses his heart when he discovers love and a new identity in the Old West. Brand's first western story is a timeless tale of new identity and love in the Old West.