Customer Reviews

The Gunfighter: Man or Myth?

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

 

 

This book is actually very useful. Besides relating dozens of stories of real gunfights the author acutally gets inside the head of the gunfighter and tries to figure out what made him tick. The reader learns for example that it usually wasn't who drew the fastest that won the gunfight but rather who had the greater nerve and time enough to aim.

It's also amazing just how many shots were fired in the typical gun fight. And how many of those shots usually missed their mark. A testiment to just how much nerve and steadiness entered into the equation. I found the details such as where bullets hit and what types of guns mankillers preferred and why to be invaluable.

I highly recommend this book. It's a good read with lots of information that's been compiled with hundreds of footnoted sources.

THE GUNFIGHTER MAN OR MYTH is a surprisingly complete look at the wild west. He goes beyond a study of gunfighters to the various bodies of lawmakers, the vices, guns and much more.

On the subject of lawmen he covered the history and some adventures of the Texas Rangers, the Pinkertons, and the U.S. Marshals.

The cowboys, cattle drives and the Texas Longhorn cattle were examined.

Mr. Rosa had short essays on some of the prominent gunfighters from both sides of the law. Among those were the Earps, Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, and "Mysterious Dave" Mather.

Another fascinating subject was the handguns that were so instrumental in the life and death of a gunfighter. He explored the manufacturers and the models they sold. What was even more interesting was the individual modifications some of the shootists used for safety or to enhance the use of their gun. He also addresses the reasoning for some of carrying more than one pistol.

Among the myths that the author dispelled was the quick draw. It wasn't a normal part of a gunfight. Situational preparation and "deliberation" were under-rated factors. On page 180 Mr. Rose wrote; "Legend has made all the shootists appear much better shots than they were. But there can be no doubt that some of them were great pistol men."

This book not only accomplishes the goal of separating the gunman from the myth, it educates the reader on other relevant topics in the life of the gunfighter. Also helpful are the footnotes to sources and the Index.

I recommend this book.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be just a "thin" myth-busting account of gunfighters but it is actually a beautifully written account of the western culture from which gunfighters appeared. It is extremely well-written and anyone who is interested in the West should enjoy it immensely. As a professional photographer, I have had a fascination with ghost towns of the West since the late 1960s and this book has greatly increased my understanding of those towns in their heydays. Surprisingly, the book doesn't really spend too much time on gunfighting itself. I found another review here to be a bit baffling when it says that the book goes into endless details about who shot whom, where they were shot, which gun they used, etc. I have to wonder if they actually read the book because that's not a good description of it at all. This book doesn't glorify or demonize gunfighters. It explores the culture that produced gunfighters. It puts them into the context of their times and, as such, is a wonderful historical account of the West itself, not just gunfighters. Being a voracious reader, I can say that this book was a complete surprise to me. Rosa is an outstanding and insightful author. It's ironic that an Englishman was able to best put western culture into context. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history even if they have no interest in gunfighters.

Only one returns. At least, that's the way it always used to be on Saturday afternoons at the movies here in Marblehead, Mass. about half a century ago. Television kept the tradition going a bit longer, and then there was Clint Eastwood. Yup. Nope. Well, it turns out that all this was pure mythology. Joseph Rosa did some excellent research back in the 1960s and came up with the ultimate book on the subject of guns and gunfighting in the Old West. Despite Hollywood, most of those gunfighting heroes, were, not to put too fine a point on it, pathological killers. If they lived, it was because they didn't hesitate to kill in situations where they felt threatened. Men with some qualms about taking human life usually lost their own. Fast draws ? Showdowns in the main street lined with those hitchin' posts and false fronted saloons ? Forget it, that almost never happened. Still, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and many others whose names are written in American legend did exist. Perhaps the reality was neither as pretty or as irreproachable as the legend. They often consorted with the bad guys and definitely with ladies of ill-repute.

If you happen to be interested in the 19th century development and manufacture of various brands of pistol, THE GUNFIGHTER is certainly your book. It's all in here. You can also read countless stories of the many gunfighters, lawmen, and semi-heroes who fought (and usually died) in the bad old days. Gunfighting cowboys or sheriffs over 30 must have been a rarity. Of course, nobody had heard of testosterone in those days. Gunfighters appeared in the cattle towns in Kansas, in mining towns like Tombstone, and wherever cattle barons clashed with settlers. Rosa concentrates on Kansas and Texas, but the phenomenon existed all over. I feel that Rosa got lost in a galaxy of details. He can and does tell you the story of a hundred famous gunfights, of who killed whom, in what part of the body he was shot, and with what weapon. What is missing is a wider view of history, any connection to the rest of the world or the rest of America. He frequently compares the reality to the movies and dime novel fantasies, which I appreciated very much, but he cannot seem to decide whether he is a local historian or one who wants to put the whole subject in the context of American history and culture. THE GUNFIGHTER falls between the cracks. Anyhow, if the topic interests you, I doubt if you can afford to ignore Rosa's work.

The Gunfighter: Man or Myth?, by Joseph G. Rosa

Joseph G. Rosa lives in Ruislip, England and is the author of a biography of James Butler Hickok. He believes his detachment from local influences in the US allows a more accurate assessment of the wild West era. This 229 page book has fifteen chapters, and a Bibliography and Index. The `Introduction' says the Western gun fights had the image of a "lone crusader who fights evil in order that good may prevail" (p.vii). The gunfighter emerged from the American wild West, although Australia, South Africa, and other new countries had similar violence and lawlessness (p.viii). Thousands of novels and movies all presented legends that became history for most people. [No explanation why people wanted to believe in a hero.] Only Hickok and Masterson led lives that resembled their legends (p.ix). Others, like Wyatt Earp, were the result of fiction. The `Acknowledgments' list the people and Public Libraries who helped him.

Chapter 1 discusses "The Gunfighter Legend", how dime novels and early movies created these legends for an audience that loved them (p.6). Few western pictures are better than those of William S. Hart (p.7). Tom Mix made his flashy suits into people's idea of what a cowboy wore. The gunfighter and cowboy are characters fixed in American folklore (p.12). Chapter 2 tells about "The Wild West". Some of these stories formed the basis for countless western movies. Ordinary common folk, small ranchers and farmers, settled the West. Chapter 3 tells how life on the Frontier influenced later history. Revolvers were a very useful tool. The story of "The Bad Man" is in Chapter 4. Many large landowners hired gunmen to halt small ranchers and farmers, as in the Johnson County War (p.53). [Many western movies of the 1930s used a version for their story.] The common people had established laws and courts against robbers, thieves, and killers (Chapter 5). The number of homicides in the five principal cowtowns were far less than fictionalized accounts (p.64).

The real cowboy spent his time working with cattle, not as a crack shot (Chapter 6). He wore a flannel shirt and a bandanna, not the fancy tailored shirt and pants of a stage cowboy (p.70). Saloons served cowboys and cattlemen for business and pleasure (p.75). Chapter 7 writes about "Policing the Cowtowns". It's a lesson about law, politics, and the economy. Increasing numbers of settlers put an end to the trail-cattle industry. Railroads in Texas loaded cattle to market. Chapter 8 discusses the characteristics of "Man Killers". Chapter 9 tells about famous gunfights such as the "OK Corral" and other lesser known ones. The personalities of gunfighters are described in Chapter 10. Most were good mixers and married. They all would kill when provoked (p.162). [Note how often these gunfights are associated with drinking and gambling.]

Chapter 11 discusses the rival products in revolvers. Colt's version was not original but the most practical. The Walker Colt's performance in the Mexican War made it famous. The 1873 Colt was more rugged and reliable (p.177). Skill with a pistol alone did not guarantee success in a gunfight (Chapter 12). Bat Masterson tells about skills (p.181). W.W. Greener describes what is needed (p.187). Chapter 13 says the "fast draw" seems to be a modern idea (pp.197-198). Chapter 14 tells about the developments in bullets and holsters during this era. A flap on top of a holster gave maximum protection to a pistol. People's ideas of the Old West come from fiction (Owen Wister, Zane Grey, Ernest Haycox, Clarence Mulford, and "Max Brand"), movies, and television (Chapter 15). "High Noon" can't be "the finest Western of them all" if the climactic scene "would never have happened in the real West" (p.210). The Western movie is popular in Japan, Spain, Italy, and Germany (p.211). [Did they suffer from an aristocracy and military-industrial complex and like to see ordinary people win out?]

So why did popular Western films die out? Was it the result of fewer horses and increased costs? Was it the result of the censorship of movies that dealt with working people's concerns and their right to keep and bear arms? Television successfully competed for audiences in the home.

For newcomers into the study or sheer pleasure reading into the history of our American Western heritage (1830 to 1900), don't pass this one up or any of Joseph Rosa's writings. He is into his work and refuses to take for granted hearsay. His research is a labor of love. This book offers a quick review into the background of the individuals he documents in this book and wets the appetite for deeper penetration into the character and lifestyle of some of the well known icons and lesser known individuals of that Western time period. Don't past this one up. It's a good starter.

This book came in great shape and is very informative. There is an incident written on pages 26 and 27 that could be referring to family members. This book is helping me gain more insight and information and I am thankful for that.