Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter

Great book. Very interesting. Facts I never knew. A great read

Very well written and compiled biography of James "Wild Bill" Hickok. It gives a lot of background information of other consequential people and events of the time. In no particular order, there is also Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, George Custer of the infamous Little Bighorn, the Civil War and much more. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the small font, but I am in my sixties.

I have the audio version. Great for driving with lots of interesting short descriptions of people and events and people you have heard about but really don’t know much about

This excellently written, well researched book brings vividly to life the Old West, its cast of notable characters, and where Bill Hickok fits into the tapestry of it all. Part of the fun of reading this book is enjoying how the author closes the loop on all the men and women who drift into and out of Hickok's life. I never found myself wondering what ultimately happened to these folks, many who were nearly as famous (or infamous) as Hickok. Perhaps best of all, you will read about events when Hickok was a hero of extraordinary bravery and skill, and other times when he simply wished for a more normal life. I recommend this book without hesitation and if you're an old Baby Boomer who grew up reading comic books about Hickok, you'll be delighted with knowing his true history and importance to the history of the Old West.

A truly provocative problem solver. Great read.

This book is just okay. I felt that it spent to much time on other people. Yes the other people the book spent time on were people involved in his life, but since the title is Wild Bill I expected the book to be an indepth story about wild bill. A little disappointed and a little bored with this book.

This was week with and very detailed. I learned a lot I didn't know before. Really a great read.

With this book, the author accomplishes what he sets out to do, which is to give an overview of Wild Bill Hickok's life for the more casual reader of Western history. In the prologue, Tom Clavin basically announces that he's not going to be as detailed as previous biographers such as Joseph Rosa. It's somewhat off-putting to learn right away that "Wild Bill" is going to skim the surface of its subject's life. Clavin excuses the absence of detail by explaining that with Wild Bill it's hard to separate fact from myth. Hickok didn't necessarily mythologize his own life, but he also didn't discourage others from doing so. It appears he was a normal enough frontiersman, albeit particularly fast and accurate with his pistols, when an Easterner profiled him for a Harper's piece. At that point Hickok became an icon. My impression of Wild Bill from this book is of a nineteenth century Zelig (or Forest Gump) who crosses paths with practically every other figure of Western Lore--Kit Carson, John Brown, George Custer, Buffalo Bill, John Wesley Hardin, and Calamity Jane, among others. He was also buddies with a lot of less famous characters whose names were preceded by "California" or "Texas." Hickok came from St. Lous and Illinois and was close with his family, particularly his brothers, but seemed more adventurous than they. Wild Bill began as a guide and scout during the war and entered into law enforcement in the cow towns reluctantly. It seems he was after the salary more than anything when he took jobs as a U.S. Marshall and Abilene sheriff. Hickok seemed to be respected, probably feared, though not well liked. He could never seem to win a sheriff's job by popular vote. He did form an attachment to his deputies, and I think it was a turning point in his life when he accidentally killed jailer Mike Williams in Abilene. Hickok's "code," as he stated to others, was that he only killed people who deserved to be killed. This was how he justified the taking of life, but if he had handled the situation differently than maybe Williams wouldn't have been shot. Maybe Wild Bill's eyesight was already in trouble at that point. He earned a reputation as a gunfighter and couldn't shake that reputation even when he talked (or stared) people down from a gunfight. There's a cinematic poetry to a gunfighter gradually losing his sight, but this was a very real affliction for Bill. Hickok saved Buffalo Bill's life at one point, and Buffalo Bill returned the favor, so the two became close friends, and Hickok was even persuaded to perform in an early incarnation of Buffalo Bill's famous show, though he was a terrible actor and bothered by the bright stage lights. Wild Bill turned increasingly to gambling, and although he showed a passing interest in prospecting in Deadwood, he spent the bulk of his time playing cards. Clavin focuses on the premonitions Hickok has of his own imminent death. He knew his reputation had made him a target, yet he made no effort to blend in, wearing a "Queen Ann's" coat, bright leggings, and a black sombrero, along with his six-shooters. I really feel Hickok lost some of his zeal after killing Williams. Prior to that, he had been strong, loyal, a hard worker. Afterwards he drank and gambled to excess and seemed most concerned with making a quick buck. To his book Clavin added a lot of context, which some might consider padding. The truth is that not a lot is known about Hickok's life, and he died in his thirties, so the author adds lengthy digressions on bloody Kansas and the abolition movement, the birth of the cow towns, and even circus life at the time. I found these, for the most part, to be useful additions to Hickok's story. It's important to gain an understanding of the places and periods where he found himself. The author ends with an interesting theory that, even had Wild Bill lived, he wouldn't have aged well. The era of the gunslinger was drawing to a close. There was no practical occupation for Hickok, he wasn't a great gambler or any kind of prospector whatsoever, and he was slowly but surely going blind. This is perhaps why Wild Bill tarried in Deadwood instead of returning to his new wife, Agnes Lake, in Cincinnati. He was embarrassed of what he'd become.

I've always been interested in Western history. But I've never seemed to get around to reading about Wild Bill Hickok. Finally got this book, and was glad I did.Extremely well written. It details his life thoroughly, and keeps you interested. A very interesting read.

Used this product for personal entertainment. AOK as advertised.

Love this author.This his third book I've bought, Tombstone & Dodge City, being the others.He doesn't just cover the main characters but the background of the locations, which makes for interesting reading.Hope he will bring more historical westerns out.

great to see legend was true to the tales for the most part

Great read