Philip Steele, a James Curwood novel, was a controversial book in its day. First a series of stories, then a book, and eventually a movie, Philip Steele was actually banned in Canada. Curwood later said he expected the book to be banned, because it "told the true story of Bucky Nome-a story that is largely a part of history, and which the Royal Mounted wishes to be forgotten." Bucky Nome was a Mountie gone bad, and the incidents in Philip Steele were true, Curwood said. Steele, who grew up in the lap of luxury, joined the Mounted Police because the girl he loved told him a lie. Welcoming all the dangers that came his way as a Mountie, Steele quickly earned his stripes. One of his assignments was investigation Bucky Nome for murder. The plot thickens when we find that Nome, a despicable villain "so crooked that he would cheat himself," bears a striking resemblance to Philip Steele. In addition to being Steele's lookalike, Nome is described physically as "a magnificent specimen, beyond doubt the handsomest man in the service north of Winnipeg; so that while other men despised him for what they knew, women admired and loved him-until, now and then too late for their own salvation, they discovered that his moral code was rotten to the core." Thanks to the speedy work of Philip Steele, Nome is quickly arrested and jailed. That where the real store begins, as Nome's escape, impersonation of Steele, kidnapping of Steele's love interest, and the wild canoe chase through torrential waters all make for a thrilling tale.