The Big Book of the Weird Wild West (Factoid Books) [Paperback]

John Whalen (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; 1st edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563893614
• ISBN-13: 978-1563893612
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.5 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT LIKE A JOHN WAYNE MOVIE..., May 26, 2003

By 

B. G. Shultz "pyfr" (Rockwall, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Book of the Weird Wild West (Factoid Books) (Paperback)

One of the many "Big Books" from Factoid Press, this volume delivers up a multitude of disturbing, humorous, and crazy tales from the West of yesteryear. Cleverly (and sometimes graphically) illustrated, this book would probably not be a good read for anybody who believes that the Old West was John Wayne-esque, where the good guy always won the duel and got the lady. The real West was more like a spaghetti western, where even the good guys were cut from a dubious cloth. Included in this volume are the stories of the ill-fated Donner Party (who were forced to dine on one another), Six Gun Slade (whose treatment of his opponent was surely an inspiration on Quentin Tarantino), Liver-Eatin' Johnson (the name says it all), Cowboys vs. UFO's, the slaying of a prehistoric bird in Arizona, and many, many others. Perhaps most amazing was how frequently people crossed the line from outlaw to lawman- it's almost as if being a murderer or train robber was a necessary prerequisite for a law enforcement job! The role of blacks, women, and homosexuals is discussed with refreshing frankness, and the clash between Anglo, Spanish, and Indian cultures is addressed as well. This book is entertaining and educational at the same time, and highly recommended to anybody with the slightest interest in what went on in the real Old West.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the REAL "Wild, Wild West!", June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Book of the Weird Wild West (Factoid Books) (Paperback)

You won't find Will Smith in this bizarre yet hilarious collection of true (and possibly true) tales from the dark side of the Western frontier. This entry in the now-legendary Big Book series meets the high stanards set by the others -- but be warned. This is one of the more violent Big Books. Not for kids. But if you enjoy rough and tumble true tales of killers, cannibals and crazies this book'll show you what the West was really like.

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeeehaw, pardner!, October 17, 2010

By 

T. Robinson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Big Book of the Weird Wild West (Factoid Books) (Paperback)

I love the whole "Big Book" series. This is loaded down with loads of fun stories about the wild west in all sorts of different cartoon styles. Some of the stories are funny, some downright amazing. There's a whole lot more to western lore than the gunfight at the OK Corral.