Customer Reviews

Lawmen of the Old West: The Bad Guys

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"Lawmen of the Old West: The Bad Guys" should definitely not be considered a historical work- it might fit better into the historical fiction category. It's written in a rambling, informal style that makes for difficult reading, especially when the author is describing gunfights; you'll have to go back and re-read a scene at least twice before you can keep track of who did what to whom. In addition, the author repeats anecdotes of the "The Wild West" that are mostly myth mixed in with a touch of real history, but it's hard to pick out the myths because of the lack of documentation- there are no references or footnotes for those interested in tracking down primary sources. The author is fuzzy on dates and circumstances. In the sections on the lives of Frank Canton and Bury Alvord, for example, he often uses terms like "around 1905" and "within a couple of years". There is an attempt at a bibliography at the end of the book, but it's a short list of secondary sources, unconnected to the text. I can't recommend this book, even taking "Lawmen..." purely as a work of fiction.