Zorro Unmasked

A must-read for Zorro aficionados, Sandra Curtis’s thorough compendium offers a rich historical cross section of one of pop culture’s most influential icons. Beginning with his debut in 1919 in a pulp magazine to Antonio Banderas’s high-profile impersonation in The Mask of Zorro, every factoid and trivial tidbit about the masked muchacho is included. For example, did you know that Zorro, which means “fox” in Spanish, was based on an actual California bandido? Or that Batman and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, are spinoffs of the legendary Latino? Curtis’s husband inherited the rights to Zorro, which subsequently gave the author access to a vast archive of information not available to other writers. That, coupled with her own extensive research, lends to some interesting synthesis, especially when she touches upon early Californian history. Replete with film, TV, and historical photos and coupled with balanced film and television reviews, Zorro Unmasked is a satisfying reference guide for those who can’t get enough of the sexy swordsman. –Rebekah Warren