The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West [Paperback]

John Edwards Ames (Author), John Ames (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

Supported by strong ratings and a rich history, The Real Deadwood provides background and historical accuracy for the figures depicted on the hit HBO series, and takes a broader look at the times that spawned them. Covering law and order, politics, journalism, and early medicine, and examining some "historical guest stars" who may play a factor in future Deadwood episodes (Teddy Roosevelt was an acquaintance of series protagonist Seth Bullock and made several visits to the lawless town; Bullock turned away Wyatt Earp when he offered his services as a lawman)-The Real Deadwood will allow readers to traverse the unpaved streets of an outlaw town without ever getting their boots dirty.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Ames is the author of several western adventures, including several Trailsman books for New American Library.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Chamberlain Bros.; Later Printing edition (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596090316
• ISBN-13: 978-1596090316
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very unsatisfying 'history' of Deadwood, May 13, 2005

By 

Harvey Ardman (Rockport, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West (Paperback)

If you're a rabid fan of "Deadwood," the TV series, as I am, this is a book you should avoid. I'm sure the author is a fine fellow and a talented writer, but...this book is extremely disappointing. It's an hour's reading, and that includes plenty of padding--15 pages, for instance, on frontier medicine and plenty of stuff that has nothing to do with Deadwood. The book is vastly underresearched--a simple Google search will tell you a lot more about Deadwood. It shows signs of being hastily written. (Publisher to writer: "Hey write us something about Deadwood. We can capitalize on the TV series." Writer to publisher: "How soon do you want it?" Publisher: "Yesterday.")

The only thing in the book that's really interesting are four or five photographs--of Hickock, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock. If you want to see them, don't bother to buy the book. Instead, search Google images under "Deadwood." Or try some other book.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Deadwood Lite, February 28, 2006

By 

EmGee (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West (Paperback)

If you're looking for a fast, easy read about Deadwood with little detail, insight, or depth, this is the book for you. The book offers nothing new or interesting for those of us already familiar with Deadwood's history.

I also consider the strong tie in to the HBO series (which is, by the way, my favorite show) generally ill advised. The positive aspect of doing so is the author makes it clear early in the book that the series is not completely factual, the writers, producers, etc. do not intend for the show to be completely factual, and the book addresses some of these characters, events, situations presented in the series, and "corrects" the facts. Unfortunately, in a few cases, the author discusses fictional characters/situations from the series, it's important to understand the context and details of the reference, the context and details are not included in the book, so only readers who've watched the series would understand the references. I'm sure there are a lot of people interested in Deadwood and it's history who haven't watched or have no interest in the series. Overall, I found the constant references to the series annoying. I love the series, I wanted to learn more about the real Deadwood, I didn't want to read about the series, I didn't get what I wanted or thought I'd get from this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fluff, but not bad fluff, May 22, 2005

By 

gmr2048 (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West (Paperback)

I figured this book was going to be an easy, one-day read. I was right. If you're looking for a complex history of Deadwood, look elsewhere. If you're looking for in-depth biographies of all of the colorful characters that passed thorugh the town, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a primer on Deadwood, and an easy summer read, and a bit of reality vs. tv show...this is the book for you.

I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it to friends (with the caveats stated above). I think it's worth the ten bucks it costs (new). If you can find it used, even better! Had it cost twenty, I'd have recommended getting it from the library.