Customer Reviews

Digging Up Butch and Sundance (Revised Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I must admit that in my mind the myths around Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid were all tied up with the 1969 movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I had a vague idea that the characters were based on real people, but I wasn't very curious about them. Then I ran across this book. I meant to give it a desultory glance, but I got hooked by the charming George Leroy Parker aka Butch Cassidy and his hothead partner, Harry Longabaugh aka the Sundance Kid. I found myself peering at the photographs and thinking, "They were real!" I was particularly entranced with the mysterious Etta Place (if that was actually her name). This is a very entertaining account of obsessive sleuthing. The author and her husband even went to Bolivia and witnessed the digging up of remains of an outlaw purported to be Sundance. Ms. Meadows reaches no definite conclusions, and that's just fine with me. Perhaps if we knew exactly what happened to them, they wouldn't be so intriguing.

Digging Up Butch and Sundance is as engrossing as any fictional detective story, thanks to Anne Meadows' exceptional writing style and dogged pursuit of the facts. She brings to life the men behind the myth, and deals with a wealth of confusing and conflicting accounts with clarity and intelligence, spicing her story with numerous fascinating details about her and her husband's countless trips to South America in search of the truth. While her final answers may not have solved the mystery of the outlaws' fate with 100% certainty, she has done more than anyone else to come to a solution, which is certain to satisfy all but the most of skeptical of critics. May be the most complete (and accurate) book about their final days, and is likely to remain so. Highly recommended.

Meadows, an exceptionally skillful writer, takes you along on a fascinating adventure to uncover the remains of two of the old west's most colorful outlaws. You feel you are right there at the side of the author and her husband every step of the way as they try to solve the mystery of the famous outlaw pair's last days. It's a trip well worth the taking. Highly recommended.

Having from time to time read snippets casting doubt on whether or not the ending of the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was factual, I was excited when someone told me about this book. Although the ending is inconclusive, it gives a lot of useful information about the state of affairs regarding research into Butch and Sundance's demise and ties up a lot of loose ends.
The only complaint I have is that describes the author's search for answers in great detail. This approach is not inappropriate in this case, but the writing is not as gripping as in some other books of this type, such as James Crisp's "Sleuthing the Alamo", and it becomes a bit tedious at times when one has to wade through pages of trivial details of her travels in between the bits about the outlaws. For example, I don't really need to know such details as how many lumps of sugar the author puts in her coffee! Overall, though, the book is a valuable addition to my library, and I am glad I purchased it.

This was a great book; nothing 'earth shattering' but really fun to read, and very interesting! It was clear it was a labor of love for the authors! And the seller sent this so quickly, I was really impressed! Thank you; it was my 'airplane book' for a trip. Great choice!

Excellent book. I have read my copy many times over the last several years.
I remember growing up reading accounts of Butch impersonators & never found them plausible.
The authors provide evidence that is just too convincing.
Finding their graves is not that important considering the mountains of supporting evidence that were found in place of their graves.
Butch & Sundance, I am quite convinced, & always have been, died in the shootout in Bolivia.
This book is well worth the read if you love detective stories, &/or American outlaw history.

This book is a travelogue with descriptions of worms in the shower, throw-up, shaving legs, and running up and down stairs. The transitions are poor between travelogue and discoveries. If everything that is filler was left out there might be two chapters worth of legitimate material. For someone who wants to find out what the authors know about Butch Cassidy FOR SURE, it is a hard read.

Contrary to what one review here said, the authors do make the definite assertion that Butch and Sundance died in South America, but the lack of evidence does not back this assertion.

If one likes travelogues of South America with some digging around for papers and unearthing graves that produce negative results you will like this book...but you have to concentrate to dig up what is hidden in the pages.

I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANNE MEADOWS, AND DANIEL BUCK SIX STARS
IF THEY WOULD HAVE PRODUCED BUTCH, AND SUNDANCE'S FINAL
THOUGHTS, AND DIALOGUE.