Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends [Hardcover]

Allen Barra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2009

The gunfight at the OK Corrall was merely on e incident in the life of the most remarkable figure of the American West. In his 82 years, Earp was a buffalo hunter, d etective, prospector, saloon keeper and finally an advisor o n Hollywood Westerns. '

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sorting through the innumerable legends about Wyatt Earp and his brothers is a monumental task, but Allen Barra, a sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a lifelong devotee of western lore, has tried mightily to sort the fact from fiction to determine once and for all if the Earps were heroes or villains. Judging by the cascade of films, books, and TV shows that have portrayed the Earps and their pal "Doc" Holliday, some people simply can't get enough of the legends, and those folks will find Inventing Wyatt Earp fascinating.

The central event of the Earp story is the fabled gunfight near Tombstone's O.K. Corral, a violent eruption in a simmering feud between, believe it or not, frontier Democrats and Republicans. Barra delves deeply into the motivations of all the participants and those who would later tell their stories, and he deserves credit for conducting his prodigious research with skepticism. However, the thoroughness of Barra's approach is a double-edged sword: his relentless examination of Earp's life and the various accounts of it can at times lead the narrative into a blinding sandstorm of minor details. Nonetheless, for those with a strong interest in sorting out the truth about the legends of Tombstone, this book is a valuable source. --Robert McNamara --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Wall Street Journal sportswriter Barra (That's Not the Way It Was) does an admirable job of discounting the stories and outright lies told by Earp's contemporaries by using firsthand accounts and newspaper stories of the time. Barra concludes that the legend we know as Wyatt Earp is really a compilation of many of the characters who frequented the streets, barrooms and card games of the Wild West. But most scholars agree that Earp was intelligent, strong and generally a just lawman. A particularly interesting section concentrates on the shoot-out at the OK Corral and the subsequent trial and lasting animosity between Earp and his associates?his brothers and Doc Holliday?and the gang of "cowboys" who forever harassed them. Barra also chronicles Earp's romantic interests, including his and marriage to Josephine Sarah Marcus, a Jewish actress from New York. Barra's writing alternates, somewhat awkwardly, between a rather folksy tone and some academic detail, but readers who grew up with the legend of Wyatt Earp, both in literature and in film, will be intrigued by Barra's comprehensive and detailed dismantling of the popular myths surrounding this figure.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Castle Books; 1 edition (January 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785814949
• ISBN-13: 978-0785814948
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > 19th Century

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wyatt Earp; Fable of a Lawman, May 7, 2000

By 

B Ardell Young (Camden, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends (Hardcover)

Allen Barra's book is a welcome extension to Casey Tefertiller's biography of Wyatt Earp. To fully understand why Earp has gripped both American movie makers and the public for the past 70 years, both books must be read.

The major strength of the book is the new perspective on the growth of Earp's legend; why writers, directors and producers chose to alter the truth of Earp's life for the various limp story lines developed during the 1940s and 50s, which most people began to accept as fact for the next thirty years.

Readers with a passing interest in Earp will enjoy Barra's detailed chapters about the impact of the Earp legend on American culture and the background information about the two new movies about Earp; "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp", which still show up regularly on television and video stores.

Another important part of the book is the investigation of Glenn Boyer and Frank Waters; two writers, who have written many books condemning Earp as the villan in the clash between the Earps and the Cowboys in Tombstone.

Several simple facts support the contention that the Earp Brothers were on the right side. When the Earps met the Clantons in the famous gunbattle; they confronted the Cowboys face to face in the light of day.

They did not plan a night ambush as the Cowboys did when they wounded Virgil Earp and killed Morgan Earp or when Stillwell met the train to California at night hoping to murder Wyatt without being seen.

Wyatt Earp lived the rest of his life refusing to discuss his Dodge or Tombstone accomplishments. Also, he did not continue to ring up felony warrants and end up shot to death by a detective; Ike Clanton did.

Boyer and Waters criticize Earp for the vendetta against the Cowboys after Tucson(the train attack) but the vendetta ride clearly shows the character of Wyatt Earp.

Until Morgan was killed, Wyatt Earp had refained from an all out attack on his enemies who were constantly planning to kill him. He realized several things: the legal system was not going to avenge his brother's death; the right thing to do was to bring the full weight of justice upon the gang; He had the deadly ability to track down the cowboys and kill them.

This is why Wyatt Earp appeals to the American public; both yesterday and today. He did what need ed to be done. He compares with other American icons: George Patton, Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson to name a few. All of whom did the right thing and were severely criticized by the more passive persons of their time.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Readable and Entertaining Account of Wyatt Earp, December 17, 2007

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book on Wyatt Earp even though I have read several others primarily because I like the author's writing style and presentation. He assumes that you at least have a familiarity on Wyatt and he interjects his take on various controversies and adds a perspective based on facts and sometimes, although less concrete, on a point of view that seems to complement what rationally occurred. In these cases, it virtually feels like he has stopped to talk to you about the controversy as opposed to writing a dissertation. An example is his periodic references to other authors such as when he refers to Paula Mitchell Marks (Live and Die in the West: The Story of the OK Corral) who wrote a book with a fascinating sociological point of view. Barra challenges her when he references her comment that the judge presiding over the charges against the Earps and Holliday after the OK Corral fight was biased in favor of the Earps, Barras points out that judges are always biased in favor of those that enforce the law unless they are proven to be grossly negligent thus her point of view, in his opinion, is not relevant. Thus the book is not just a retelling of the facts and that is what makes it most interesting. The book covers the early days, Tombstone, Earp's post Tombstone career where he continuously seems to be a speculator looking for the big investment while times change around him particularly in regards to gambling, betting and saloons and the author has a very relevant look at Earp and the movies with an excellent review of all the Earp films, their misrepresentations and some detail on why many distort the real story, such as John Ford's desire to sell a movie and not necessarily a straight history. One nugget that I enjoyed was reading about Wyatt's offer of peace with Ike Clanton after the severe wounding of his brother Virgil that was reportedly turned down by Clanton. This, which I have not read before, would reinforce that Earp was not a rash man but one who acted with straight forwardness and deliberation. Only after the murder of his brother who was shot in the back and after Clanton and Frank Stillwell appear near the train station in Tucson as the wounded Virgil prepares to departs does Wyatt start his vendetta ride. Some previous reviewers note that the book has several errors, and there certainly may be a few, but I wish each would name some of them to justify their complaints. In doing so, that would provide constructive criticism and allow for reference checks and perhaps more debate. The story of Tombstone, like the Earps, will never die and Tombstone is still a fascinating place to visit, virtually a living history, with lots to see, like the original Birdcage Saloon. It may be out of the way but anyone fascinated with the west and the story of the OK Corral (or the alley next to Fly's studio to be more accurate) will find the trip and town a rewarding experience.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just read it, May 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends (Paperback)

"Inventing Wyatt Earp" is a major contribution to the literature of Old West. It is not, nor is it intended to be a biography based on groundbreaking research, and those who come to the book with that expectation are certain to be disappointed. It is, rather, a book of first-rate analysis and assessment whose main virtue is the clear-eyed, even-handed, critically probing intelligence the author applies to the appraisal of his material. Mr. Barra is possessed of a formidable analytical mind, and the questions he poses and answers he assays, however provocative at times, are reasonably well-considered. Wyatt Earp has over the years become a figure of debate and controversy. He is likely to remain one into the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, much of that debate has more recently betrayed a tone of strident and petty hysteria--much heat, little light--a tone that Mr. Barra's book serves effectively to counter. One needn't agree with the author's every assertion to appreciate the value of his book. "Inventing Wyatt Earp" may not be the Last Word on its subject, but I suspect that Allen Barra would not want, nor did he intend it to be. Forgive the many typos. Attend to the meat of the book. There is much there to be thoughtfully digested.