Customer Reviews

The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West: 1840 to 1900 (Writer's Guides to Everyday Life)

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

 

 

I use this book sometimes and I like it, but I have just a few problems with it. I got this book because it was titled "Everyday Life in..." and that's what I expected to find. A 'snapshot' of everyday life. Despite its title, at least 1/3 of the book is more about the westward expansion and American Indian culture in general, which is available in greater detail from numerous other books and web sites. For an overview of western history and culture, this book is fine. But for "everyday life," a far superior book on the same topic is "Seeking Pleasure in the Old West" by David Dary.

Not just for writers, but historians, hobbyists, and anyone interested in the small details of life in other times. This volume, like the others in the series, includes chapters (with figures and illustrations) on food, clothing, family life, work, education, religion, leisure activities, social and political history, etc. Great for browsing, great for research. Recommended.

If your on a deadline and need info quickly or just don't have the time to search volume after volume for the info that gives your work the extra flavor of authenticity then this book is a must! Sure the info is available in other western reference books but you would literally have to search hundreds of volumes to locate all the facts and info included in this single book. So why make it so hard on yourself? This one book will put the info at your fingertips!

I recently purchased this book and was sorely disapointed. A better title might be "A GUIDE TO EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE WILD WEST FOR PEOPLE WHO NEVER HEARD OF THE WILD WEST". Anyone who feels even remotely qualified to write anything about the west already has more information on hand than this book has to offer.

While this is designed as a one-stop resource for novelists and historians dealing with the American West, it is much more. It provides a vivid portrait of the frontier and those who settled the country. It is beautifully organized, supplies the telling detail, and belongs on the reference shelves of all libraries, and in the libraries of all collectors of Old West materials, and in all history collections dealing with early Americana.

The author has a genius for gathering valuable material and presenting it in orderly fashion.

An excellent reference book for those interested in the Wild West.

Leanne Hinkle, Smoky Mountain Romance Writers