Zorro (novel) young man left California and was educated in Spain, before returning to don the Zorro mask. A speculative attempt to fuse together these disparate accounts is found in the on-line article "Legacy of the Fox". A young adult novel, "Young Zorro: The Iron Brand", was published at around the same time as Allende's novel. It was written by young adult author and illustrator Jan Adkins, a technical advisor for Allende's story. It is the story of how Spanish Alta California, Pueblo de Los Angeles, and the Californio vaquero heritage at the beginning of the 19th century shaped fifteen-year-old Diego de
Zorro and 1951, a period in which McCulley published 52 short stories with the character for the "West Magazine". "Zorro Rides the Trail!", which appeared in "Max Brand's Western Magazine" in 1954, is the last story to be published during the author's lifetime, and the second-to-last story overall. The last, "The Mask of Zorro" (not to be confused with the 1998 film), was published posthumously in "Short Stories for Men" in 1959. These stories ignore Zorro's public revelation of his identity. "The Curse of Capistrano" eventually sold more than 50 million copies, becoming one of the most sold books of all