"California Joe, the Mysterious Plainsman" is a book first published in 1900 written by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham who was a Colonel in the Confederate Army, a professional military officer throughout the 1860s, and a prolific author of books on the American West. It is a dime novel, a very short novel, about the life of a young man who acts as if he is immortal. At first, many characters in the book think that Joe is a ghost or a "spook" because of his all black clothes and solid white horse. Soon, however, Joe introduces himself to a group of people who are laying train tracks across the prairie. He guides them and saves them from Indians on many occasions. Throughout the entire book, Joe is saving somebody from Indians or capturing thieves. He is the stereotypical cowboy who saves the day and rides off into the sunset. This book is a wonderful light novel and is also important for what it reveal about American cultural history at the time of its publication.