Customer Reviews

The Real Wyatt Earp: A Documentary Biography

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Steve Gatto, the author, is a lawyer and he is bent on proving that Wyatt Earp was a small-time peace officer and big-time fabulist. His book, "The Real Wyatt Earp," is his legal brief. Like a good prosecutor, he has sifted through the available records and assembled the best case he can make against Wyatt Earp, a life-long windbag, according to Mr. Gatto. The book contains page after page of contemporary newspaper articles, court records, diary entries, and letters that are interspersed with Mr. Gatto's short narratives, comments, and personal opinions. This book is a prosecutor's dream; all offense -- no defense; Mr. Gatto wins his case by default! Documents and issues that conflict with Mr. Gatto's premises are mostly ignored or glossed over. The book presents a grossly oversimplified version of Wyatt Earp's complex life. Unfortunately no one has yet written the companion to Mr. Gatto's book; the case for the defense. Mr. Gatto has made his case well, but it is not truth and it is not history. Truth can only be found by weighing ALL the evidence, not just Mr. Gatto's carefully selected subset. This book is not recommended for those seeking a biography of Wyatt Earp. I highly recommend Casey Tefertiller's "Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend," a comprehensive and balanced version of Wyatt Earp's life. Mr. Gatto's book will probably be of interest to Earp afficionados who want obscure details from contemporary sources.

"The Real Wyatt Earp" contains 201 pages of text and three appendixes; 23 photos (usual cast of Earp characters). The book's focus is on the Tombstone period of Earp's life which begins on p. 29. Eight pages are devoted to Earp's post-Tombstone years. In Chapter 11, Mr. Gatto cross-examines Wyatt Earp's Tombstone streetfight testimony.

To save readers of this review a lot of time and still be informative, I am going to quote the late Bill Cox, author of a splendid little book in the field of Earpiana, when he reviewed Ed Bartholomew's equally transparently biased diatribes on Wyatt Earp: "Dreadful."

Anyone reading this book in hopes of being "fully" informed, would need to discover somehow that they must consult the basic sources quoted to determine if and how they've been twisted, and also have to consult much more to see what was ignored or submerged

The only people who would do that are "researchers" for whom this would be, at best, a road map to basic sources.

For others, save your money. This is another author who seems compelled to pull down images of those who appear to have amounted to something, and Wyatt Earp did in a small arena which has secured lasting fame for him, despite the inevitable clay feet.

1-It is BORING. Great bedtime reading. It will put you to sleep.
2-Using selective evidence,it is heavily biased against the Earps
3-Title is a misnomer; there is no documentation to speak of and
nothing new which would justify this books' existence. Author
is a well-know Earpophile and does not present a fair, unbiased
approach to Wyatt Earp, The O. K. corral Shootout or other
events. Thanks to the editor, gone are the mis-spellings and
tortured syntax but author's earlier book on WYATT EARP is
preferable to this revisionist version. 25 years to life!

The Real Wyatt Earp: A Documentary Biography by Steve Gato is a most unfortunate book in that Mr. Gatto has already set his mind to debunk any and all facts about Wyatt Earp and his life. As one reads his book you can practically feel the sarcasim drip from his pen. I grew up in a house where my father was an attorney as is Mr. Gatto, I was always under the impression that the attorney should do his best not to allow his personal feeling to shade his efforts in getting his point accross . Mr. Gatto has done nothing but show his contempt for his subject. His claim that Wyatt Earp's "biography" was basically a lie told to Stuart Lake by Wyatt is false. What he failed to mention is that Wyatt spent very little time with Mr. Lake and that all the inventions of the Lake book were Lake's not Wyatt Earp's.

How ever,there is some great information in the Gatto book if you can overlook the heavy sarcasim and poison pen of the author, it can be a good read but be aware that Mr. Gatto has let his objectivity slip on this book. Not something a good lawyer should do.

THIS BOOK IS NOT WORTH THE TIME TO READ IT PURE BULL HE SHOULD BE ASHAME OF PUTTING OUT THIS JUNK

The human condition is replete with examples of how we lift high upon our collective shoulders those individuals whom we deem heroes. All too often, however, these men and women are more mortal than we would like to think. Some, as the author of The Real Wyatt Earp: A Documentary Biography demonstrates, are more fabrication than alliteration. Mr. Gatto brings a refreshing air to biographical investigation: a legal perspective. With each turning page, the reader is drawn into the world as it truly existed in the early 1880s. The documentation is quite clear and convincing to anyone brave enough to open their minds to what the author is exposing: that Wyatt Earp, though not a bad man, was like so many opportunist today in that he chose to cash in early on his "legendary" status rather than wait to see how history would treat him.

This should not be seen as diminishing the personage of Wyatt Earp, rather it should be seen as increasing another aspect of his abilities: the showman. Wyatt's own self described attitude toward law enforcement exposes his preference to use his brain rather than his brawn. Why should this stop at the wall of fact or fiction when retelling events as Wyatt saw them? No, Mr. Gatto's thorough, concise and erudite style of writing evinces the true character of Wyatt Earp. He was a man who today, in a grandfather like way, would give a wink and a nod when asked to tell a story, leaving those entertained by its majesty to wonder later whether it actually happened or not.

By "facing down" the age old mystique of "Wyatt Earp The Western Lawman," Mr. Gatto has demonstrated a strong resolve to discover the truth behind the legend even at the risk of personal attack. That old west aficionados and scholars, those who make their living on regurgitating the same paltry legends as Earp's, are in disagreement with Mr. Gatto should clear his mind to know that truth is on his side. Good Show, Mr. Gatto! I hope you take on other legends in the same way and let us see clearly our heroes and villains.

The story of Wyatt Earp is both controversial and interesting. Many books are available that discuss Earp's role in history but few provide good documentation for the comments contained within them. Steve Gatto's book, "Real Wyatt Earp," is filled with many of the newspaper articles and documents that were created at the time events occurred in Earp's life. Thus, giving the reader a glimpse of what the people of Wyatt's time thought about him and how his actions were recorded in the newspapers when they occurred. I enjoyed the book very much and highly recommend it to others that are interested in Wyatt Earp. However, I should note that the author is very critical of Wyatt Earp's actions and claims. But, perhaps, that is a good thing!

Steve Gatto's "The Real Wyatt Earp" is a must read for anyone interested in Wyatt Earp. Newspaper items and court documents are often quoted in the text. Making this book a great source of information on this Old West character. Unlike most authors with books on Wyatt Earp, Gatto has no problem at all challenging Wyatt's veracity concerning some of the claims he made. This upsets some die hard Earp fans a great deal. Not because Gatto's statements and theories are provably false, but, instead, because they fear they might be correct. Steve Gatto's "The Real Wyatt Earp" presents the lawman is a much different manner than other Earps books, and that is the precise reason why his book is a must read for anyone interested in Wyatt Earp.

After reading almost all of the Wyatt Earp books, this one stands out among the best. It is very well written and easy to understand. This book is not about "hero worship", but the Real Wyatt Earp. I think Mr. Gatto points out that Earp was not the great lawman of west, but instead was a con man and opportunism. This is a Must Read Book.

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