Customer Reviews

The Billy the Kid Reader

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Mr. Nolan, who is considered by many to be the foremost authority on Billy the Kid, has compiled a selection of essays and writings about his legend and life. He begins with a dime novel that was published before Billy's death in 1881 and each chapter demonstrates the evolution of Billy's legend to more modern, historical research.

In response to L. Carvo's review, this book is not meant to be an inclusive look at the life of Billy the Kid. It's a collection of rare and often out-of-print writings that is more appropriate for the serious student of the life of Billy the Kid. For those folks, this book is an absolute must-have.

For those who have never read a book about the Kid I would recommend Mr. Nolan's "The West of Billy the Kid", Robert Utley's "Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life" or Jon Tuskas "Billy the Kid: His Life and Legend".

There have been numerous books and films devoted to Billy the kid - but he still remains an elusive figure. Here historian Fredrick Nolan provides a synthesis of information surrounding Billy the Kid, offering up some of the best articles - some no longer in print - to provide a well-rounded version of not only the realities and history behind the figure, but how legends evolved around him from fictionalized accounts. An excellent addition for any in-depth American history shelf.

Nice book for those that want to learn a bit more about the history of the Wild West!

I have been reading some books about Billy, but certain faces of his life are not showed and neither assumed about Billy.

We have in the 1800's a society which is almost Mexican in New Mexico. The southern country is known by being religious. It appears that the descriptions are focused solely in the criminal side of the Kid while his religious preference by inheritance or environbment is not portrayed.

It appears that he has a very good writing style, but there is no mentioning of what school or source for such capabilities over the "standard criminal" were adquired from.

What churches were in those towns where he lived at? Which were the schools around? Knowledge was taught by the "medicine man" only? (pay no attention to my sarcasm)

Even if this kind of research can lead to asumptions made about him, there is an imcomplete scenario around his life by the lack of this kind of information.

The adquired sources about him are very good in oher aspects, but they seem to be directed as Billy the gangster only. Some sources of the book show the general scenario about the law in those times, the transportation and the migration to the South, etc. But, in those times there were Catholics, Baptists, and Mormons that might have had influence in the Kid or the people around him. I don't think that those old towns were filled by drunkers, prostitutes, saloons, post-offices and adobe buildings used as jails. There were other peole who also was there and used to study somewhere and practice their beliefs.

Why is this so important? In reality it won't be essential to know about his religion or education, but this is the missing part about him that was an important part of the society in those years.

Most of the books about Billy the Kid are similar to write the history of US without mentioning the influence of religion in its development, like to say that the Pilgrims arrived to US but without mentioning why they left England.

A more complete view of its surroundings is still missing in this book.