In this early adventure of the famous cowboy, Lucky Luke is dealing with one of the plagues of the Old West: quacks. “Doctor” Doxey is a con man, a charlatan who brews up useless elixirs and sells them as miracle cures for every ailment known to man. But he doesn’t stop at that and occasionally causes illnesses himself, the better to cure them—a behaviour that does not sit well with Luke...

Having accepted the sheriff’s job in Red City, Lucky Luke arrives to find a town entirely under the control of Pat Poker, a ruthless gambler, cheat and saloon owner, and his henchmen. His horse, clothes and revolver stolen, Luke decides to pass himself off as a harmless, bumbling tenderfoot, all the better to study his opponents and catch them unaware. Still, Pat won’t give up easily, and keeping him behind bars might require some additional work...

After their umpteenth defeat at Lucky Luke’s hands, the Dalton brothers get into a big argument that ends with the four of them splitting up. They make a deal: Whoever is first to get a million dollars will be the leader of the gang. Going their separate ways, trying various schemes, each spreads his own kind of mayhem, forcing poor Lucky Luke to do four times the work to keep up with their antics !

Horace Greeley is heading west with his printing press and his rock-solid belief in the power of the press, printing issues of his Daily Star as he goes. But his insistence on publishing the truth isn’t making him universally loved. When Lucky Luke meets the quirky journalist, he agrees to help him settle in Dead End Gulch and protect him against those who would rather not see their dirty deeds in print.

Marcel Dalton is the Dalton Brothers’ Swiss uncle. He is not only honest, but a banker to boot. Having purchased a small bank in the US, he decides to hire his nephews to force them to make a honest living. Although he’s assisted by Lucky Luke, they have their work cut out for them. Especially since – as if the ingrained instincts of the four dumbest bandits in the West weren’t enough – there’s also the small matter of the competition: a very unscrupulous banker ...

é Returned to their penitentiary by Lucky Luke for the umpteenth time, the Daltons meet a troubling character: Dunkle, a self-proclaimed prophet fond of fiery speeches. His continual preaching eventually converts the ever hapless Averell. Soon, all five escape together and find refuge in a friendly, welcoming community, where they sow chaos and discord each in their own way – unaware that Lucky Luke is already tracking them ...

Kid Luck, still travelling with Old Timer, arrives in Mushroom City. After months in the wild, they’re both glad to find a place where they can have some fun! While the old gold miner has every intention to enjoy himself, though, he immediately sends Luke ... straight to school! A horrible sentence for the young cowboy-in-the-making, who is about to meet a quartet of already nasty little brats, and a pistolero with somewhat ... flexible morals!

Gold has been found in the Klondike, a remote region in the Canadian far north! Jasper, the manservant of ‘Tenderfoot’ Waldo, went to try his luck ... and vanished. Worried about his man, Waldo calls upon his old friend Lucky Luke. The two men will have to make the dangerous trip to the Klondike, only to face all those who, in that desolate, inhospitable land, will stop at nothing in order to fleece their fellow man.

This third volume in the collection brings us to the very edge of absolute greatness, with two later, far more mature solo outings – Doc Doxey’s Elixir (including Manhunt) and Phil Wire (including Lucky Luke and Pill) were first published in 1955 and 1956, and already Luke was much closer to the cowboy that we now have in mind – followed by Rails on the Prairie, the first collaboration between Morris and Goscinny, that would usher in 30 years of a legendary collaboration. These stories are prefaced by a staggering 46 pages of extra material – biographies, essays, interviews, illustrations – that will delight every fan.

When a former convict at the penitentiary where Rin Tin Can ‘works’ passes away, he leaves his entire fortune to ... the stupidest dog in the West! The inheritance includes multiple buildings in Virginia City, including most of Chinatown, which isn’t to everyone’s taste. Even worse, the will states that if anything should happen to Rin Tin Can, everything would then pass onto ... Joe Dalton. Following the inevitable escape of the four Daltons, Lucky Luke will have to protect the canine millionaire!