The ill-fated lovers Frankie and Johnny were already legends by 1930, the year of this illustrated drama's publication. The unique interpretation is a collaboration between John Huston, the future director of The Maltese Falcon and other film classics, and Miguel Covarrubias, an influential painter and caricaturist. Huston, who reputedly interviewed a neighbor of the real-life Frankie and Johnny, was inspired to adapt the tale of love gone wrong for...

"Lobo, the protagonist of this ... novel about life on the border between Mexico and the United States, has no education to speak of but possesses an amazing talent for converting any notable event into an epic ballad. When the local drug kingpin discovers him, Lobo becomes the kingdom's artist-in-residence. Through his songs, he captures life both within the court and outside of it, and though initially his compositions serve to glorify and popularize...

"The story of the 1931 Lemon Grove incident, in which Mexican families in southern California won the first school desegregation case in United States history. Told in Spanish and English. Includes a corrido (ballad), and information about the people involved and events leading up to and after the court case ruling"--