Customer Reviews

Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend

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3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Any reader enjoying history, specifically the "Old West," will delight in the literary offerings associated with Tombstone in the 1880s. In particular, the Earp/Holliday/Cow-Boys saga is one with many tales, some based in fact, some in myth. Since the movies, "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp," we have been flooded with books centered on this fascinating story. The difficult part for a discerning reader however, is knowing which one is the closest to the "real" truth. I suspect we will never know which version encompasses the greatest percentage of accurate datapoints, but we still try. Gary Roberts has provided us with another chapter to consider, and while I consider Mr. Roberts a very skilled and masterful historian, he has had better efforts.

Roberts details the life of John Henry Holliday, from his birth in Georgia in 1851 to his death in Glenwood Springs, CO in 1887. The greatest portion of the book is spent during the time frame of Doc's introduction and frienship with the Earp brothers, but Roberts does spend time chronicaling Holliday's early life, including his foray into dentistry.

Much has been written and speculated regarding Holliday's reason(s) for leaving Georgia, although no definitive answer has been nailed down; Roberts is no exception here; rather, he presciently presents the primary theories of Doc's departure (a tainted affair with his cousin; or the health benefits of the western climate {Doc had consumption [TB]}; or escaping the grasp of the police in questioning a shooting that Doc may have been involved in). Take your pick, these seem to be the primary reasons historians provide for Doc's permanent departure of Georgia.

Doc basically drifted from Kansas to Texas, from dentistry to gambling. He made a name for himself as a gambler, and more important to future events, as a ready and willing gunfighter. During this period, and up to his death, Doc fought a range of emotions brought on by his omnipresent tuberculosis and his ever-increasing use of alcohol to combat his myriad aliments.

Roberts reports a variety of opinions of Doc, one of the most telling from Virgil Earp who said, "Doc was gentlemanly," and "a good dentist." Wyatt Earp remembered him as a "mad, merry scamp with heart of gold and nerves of steel." Bat Masterson was more critical, describing Doc as a mean drunk with a little-man complex. Masterson went on to say, "[he was] hot headed and impetuous and very much given to both drinking and quarreling, and among men who did not fear him, he was very much disliked." Other characterizations wof Doc seemed to middle those of Wyatt and Bat. Regardless, there is little doubt that the two movies present one of Doc's attributes quite accurately...he knew he was dying and had very little care who he confronted or why.

Doc was easily prickly when he was drinking, which was often, and when he was gambling. In one infamous instance, Doc added to his legend while at the faro table. Doc was dealing faro, and Ed Bailey was at Doc's table. Bailey continued to look at the "deadwood," the played or discarded cards (which was bad form and "not allowed") to which he received Doc's admonishment. Bailey continued to do so to which Doc pulled down a hand without showing his cards. Bailey went to pull his gun, but before he could unholster it, Doc had pulled his knife and "with one sideways sweep had caught Bailey right below the brisket." This was well chronicled in Tombstone, although the story was embellished under different circumstances.

Much of the Tombstone years have been well documented by Roberts however, this is where this biography hits a wall. Yes, the facts Roberts uncovers are well presented and well footnoted, but it reads as dry and spartan as a military manual on disassembling a rifle. Roberts had an opportunity to put his research into Doc in the form of a story, well footnoted, but with some panache and spirit. Instead, the Tombstone years are nothing more than snippets of research Roberts has uncovered shoved together in the form of chapters. Again, Mr. Roberts is very talented, but perhaps that is why this offering is so disappointing. It just doesn't measure up to his talent.

While I would still recommend this book for history and western buffs, be prepared for a solemn, academic read.

This is a long-awaited book that is destined to be a classic in American biography. Gary L. Roberts has captured the life and the legend of his fellow Georgian in a manner unlikely to be excelled in our lifetime. The highly respected Roberts, who has written dozens of articles about various aspects of western history over more than four decades, is Professor Emeritus of History at Abraham Baldwin College. He is the author of the acclaimed study of 19th century New Mexico mayhem, "Death Comes for the Chief Justice: The Slough-Rynerson Quarrel and Political Violence in New Mexico." This book is the culmination of a lifetime of his research into the life of the legendary gunfighting dentist.

Several other features make this a work apart. There is Roberts's vivid writing style, with prose that sparkles and at other times touches the reader to the core. This is especially true of the magnificently written final two chapters- lengthy analyses of the Doc Holliday legend this reviewer believes are destined to become classics- The Anatomy of a Western Legend, and The Measure of a Legend. Dr. Roberts brings to this field a wider view of western American history and its themes than most writers in this genre, placing Doc in the context of the Railroad Age, the coming of the Industrial Revolution to the American West, the closing of the frontier, and more. His feel for historical process enables him to deliver measured judgments that are convincing. His long immersion in Holliday research enables him to cite sources long unavailable.

Understanding Holliday's roots in antebellum Georgia, his boyhood Civil War trials, and the chaos of the Reconstruction Era comes naturally to this author from the Peach State. Readers will find much new material on many well-known figures and episodes, and this reviewer found the bringing of Doc's sometime paramour Big Nose Kate to life particularly poignant. Kate is a real human being for perhaps the first time in western letters. Yet the author does not claim to have the final word on the intriguing figure of John Henry Holliday; true historian that he is, he understands historical writing as part of an ongoing dialogue. To that end he has used a prodigious amount of modern research, seemingly leaving no stone unturned, and has listed his sources in a detailed and admirable section of annotated endnotes that scholars will be using for years to come. The photographs sprinkled throughout the text will add to the reader's experience.

Readers interested in the sagas of Dodge City, Tombstone, and the single most famous stand-up and face each other gunfight in the history of the American West, The Gunfight at the OK Corral, and yet who want more than their Hollywood versions, will want to read this book. Doc Holliday, The Life and Legend, makes a fine companion to the 1997 biography Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend by Roberts's research colleague Casey Tefertiller. It is unlikely an accident that the titles of both books are similar. Both books have advanced our understanding of these two household names, and Roberts has deepened our knowledge of not only the life, but the context of the life and the development and meaning of the legend of Doc Holliday.

In "Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend" Gary Roberts immediately establishes his credentials in historical research and although he comes from a life in academia, that never inhibits his storytelling ability. Roberts tells about a young Atlanta dentist, his family conflicts, the relationship with his catholic cousin Mattie Holliday, contracting tuberculosis and then moving west. Doc continues his dental practice in Dallas where he is attracted to saloon life and becomes a skilled gambler. In Ft. Griffin, Texas Kate Elder sets her sights on Doc and when trouble comes and a noose is about to be tied around Doc's neck Kate executes a daring escape plan and the two of them ride north to Dodge City, Kansas where they begin a tumultuous relationship.
Doc sets up a dental practice in the cattle town and establishes good relations with the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Luke Short and Eddie Foy. When a wild bunch of drunken cowboy's corner assistant city Marshall Wyatt Earp Doc hurries to his rescue. Wyatt is grateful to Doc for saving his life, and that was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Later they both wind up in Tombstone, Arizona. A corrupt political ring runs Cochise County and uses a cowboy faction as muscle. Wyatt's intent to run for Cochise County Sheriff on a ticket of law and order opens up a hornet's nest. When the showdown comes Doc joins Wyatt and his brothers on the side of law and order in the shootout at the OK Corral.
Ring lawyers accuse the Earps and Holliday of murder and take them to court. A twenty-eight day hearing, before Judge Spicer, frees Doc and the others but the cowboy's won't quit. They harass the mayor and Judge Spicer, ambush and wound Virgil Earp and assassinate Morgan Earp.
Roberts continues the post Tombstone story with Jail time for Doc in Denver and a shooting episode in Leadville. Then on November 8, 1887 Doc succumbs to tuberculosis and is buried in Linwood Cemetery at Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
You'll enjoy this engaging and informative book while at the same time you're getting to know the real man behind the legend.
Tom Barnes Author of "Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone."

I purchased this book with high expectations, but I was disappointed. I've collected many of Roberts early writings, some of which are over 40 years old. I'd hoped his Doc Holliday book would represent that same sense of style, imagination and enthusiasm that marked his early writings. Forty years ago his words had energy but his latest effort gives us lots of words, but no heart. The author speaks as an academic historian, or an encylopaedist of all things Holliday without much in the way of narrative or oratory.

Perhaps the author should have taken a more 'popular history' approach in the writing of this book. As the late great Steven Ambrose once wrote 'The important thing about History is the last five letters of the word.' There are those who believe that no serious study of history could-or should-be undertaken and enjoyed as entertainment. They are wrong. You can write 'popular' and still stive to get your facts straight. The late Shelby Foot said it best 'What the academics have done to history, equating facts with truth is a murderous thing. The truth is how the facts came into being, what effect the facts had, not the facts themselves.'

Unfortunately, I found that this book soon bogs down in distracting and unnecessary minutia that is certain to further confuse the casual reader. Old hands familiar with the Earp/Holliday tail can slog through due to their prior story knowledge. It appears to this reviewer that the author wrote the book while keeping one eye over his shoulder looking for forthcoming attacks from fellow researchers and the internet. As a result the author avoids conclusions or presents weak arguments.


Other reviewers share the opinion and claim the book the definitive study of Holliday removing him from the shadows of history and a wonderful read. I found it to be none of the above. Most of the so-called facts and figures concerning the life and times of Doc Hollliday have been revealed, dissected and re-hashed many time before. Far from removing Holliday from the shadows of myth and fantasy little has been added here to illuminate the 'real' Holliday. Any new gems of wisdom within this book are well disguised.

Even with all of its flaws I would still recommend the book to collectors of Western Americana and the Tombstone/Earp/Holliday story.

Writing about western legends like Doc Holliday is an extremely difficult and daunting prospect for the historian. First, there is the scant, and often contradictory, primary sources on which to rely. Second, these individuals really did lead rather violent and somewhat eccentric lives, but at the time the fables and untrue tall tales that are spun about the lives of these figures leaves the historian trying to the pull the truth out of the web of untruths. And finally, even contemporary and later day works or interviews with those who actually knew the person are often full of mistruths and exaggerations.

Thus, the task Roberts set himself up for. Given the above obstacles, I have to give Roberts a pass for not really supplying a biography of Holliday that contains facts or stories I have not read before. This biography does do a good job of pulling the many threads of Doc Holliday's story together in a readable, well organized, if somewhat dry, manner. The writing style is a bit on the dull side, and often he skirts into sidebars that I could do without, but overall the effort is a worthy, but not great one.

This is a good book for an individual interested in the history of the American West. Doc Holliday is recognized by many to be the gunfighter icon of all. This book lays out the truth about Doc Holliday and how the legend got started. What you learn in the book is that Doc was an individual who never backed down from a fight, but he wasn't an individual who provoked fights. His claim to fame had to do with his support of Wyatt Earp during the OK Corral fight and more importantly afterwards when he and Wyatt pursued the bad guys in Southeastern Arizona and provided their own form of justice when the law of the land was flawed. His courage and his sense of justice and the need for law and order is commendable. But, Doc was not perfect. He was a drinker and often a troublemaker. Because of this, the Tombstone events pursued him more than they did Wyatt. And, the forces in that area, who wanted him, tried to get him in Denver, Colorado. These events, while he was in a jail there, were played out in the press - with both sides emphasizing either his good sides or his bad sides - and over exaggerating the bad in many instances. This is what resulted in his legend. The book pieces this together sharing all the different sources and then providing an analysis on why one source is a better one than the other. What we get is a thorough analysis of the man and the times. But, this is really only for the reader who is really interested in the American West. Others, as you'll note in the reviews below, will probably not be interested in this book. However, I was, I enjoyed, and I recommend it.

`Doc' Holliday, or, John Henry Holliday, a cold-blooded killer, or a man just trying to stay alive? Author, Gary L. Roberts did extensive research on Holliday, and many of those `Doc' came in contact with. From that research Roberts has put together a book that gives the reader a much better idea of whom `Doc' was, why he was like he was and the impact he had on history. The book, for me, dispelled faulty information I'd received about `Doc.' It also answered some of the questions I'd always had about `Doc.'
At the time I write this review I'm fifty-seven years young. During those fifty-seven years I've seen `Doc' portrayed as a bad guy, a good guy, a mysterious acquaintance of Wyatt Earp and all those things between. `Doc' was always an enigma in my mind. I just finished reading "Doc Holliday" by Gary L. Roberts and I must say I feel I now know the man, as much as he could be known by someone never having talked with him.
I was born just outside Kennett, Missouri; a state that harbored and made heroes out of people like Jesse James. I also spent twenty years as a `peace officer.' I think this added to my curiosity, and infatuation, with `Doc.' Gary L. Roberts has helped fill that void left by lack of information about `Doc' and therefore `quenched my thirst' concerning what he was really all about.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Richard Neal Huffman - the author of, Dreams In Blue: The Real Police (just another legend?) Confessions of a Serial Killer's Son

I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of historical detail and the extent of footnoting I found in this book. I am not a Western buff, although I do enjoy Western movies (including the ones with John Wayne). If Gary Roberts is right (and, of course, he is) the Wild West was rather different than the way it is portrayed in the movies. I was surprised by the number of arrests for gambling and for carrying a "concealed weapon", thinking that these were the norm in those days. As I got to the "gunfight at the O.K. Corral", I was again surprised to find this episode labeled the "Fremont Street fiasco". While Roberts presents this "fight" in great detail, given the disparate materials available to him, the actual gunfight seems greatly overblown in the popular imagination (including mine), due to an over-reliance on movies for historical information on the Old West. Roberts goes a long way to setting things straight. Doc remains a shadowy figure, befitting his status as a legend.

If you hunger for more information on Doc Holliday look no further. Doc is here hidden in the pages of Gary L. Roberts book. I first rented this book from my local library, and loved it so much I had to buy and add it to my collection. One of the best books on Doc you will find!!!

There are eras in American history that seem almost more mythic than real. Certainly this applies to the Old West, in particular, the frontier from around the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the 20th century. The figures of this period are the stuff of legends, constantly being shown, assessed and reassessed through books and movies.

Superficially, there were "good guys" and "bad guys" although the definition of who fit what role tended to vary. Generally, the white-hatted heroes consisted of folks like Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson; the black-hats were Billy the Kid, Jesse James and the Clanton Gang. In loose terms, Doc Holliday, through his association with Wyatt Earp, usually is considered more hero than villain, but the truth with him (and these other people) was typically more complicated than this.

Doc - born John Henry Holliday - was born in the deep South where he experienced the Civil War as a child. Decently educated, he eventually became a dentist and began a life of wandering generally westward, eventually abandoning his profession to become a professional gambler. His life would become one of minor crimes (such as handgun possession and drunkenness) with occasional bits of violence. His reputation would change, however, after the shootout at the O.K. Corral. This event - along with the subsequent "vendetta ride" - cemented the popular image of Doc Holliday, gunfighter.

Gary Roberts's biography of Holliday is well-written enough, but probably overly long for a figure who even in Western lore is essentially a supporting character. In addition, since there are not a lot of verified facts about Holliday's life, Roberts has to piece together things from circumstantial evidence. As a result, Holliday remains an enigmatic figure. Among the big questions: what motivated him to go out west? Was it merely to find a better environment to deal with his tuberculosis, or was he running away from a relationship with his cousin, Mattie (who would become a nun and the inspiration for Melanie in Gone with the Wind)?

If you are expecting a book that reads like a Western, you will probably be disappointed. Westerns generally deal with the myths of the West while this book describes the reality, which in certain ways is more interesting. Although sometimes slow, this is overall a good book, especially if you have an affection for this part of American history.