Overview

Despite the countless books and films devoted to him, Billy the Kid remains one of the most elusive figures of the Old West. Now, award-winning western historian Frederick Nolan has scoured the published literature to offer this well-rounded compendium on the life and times of William H. Bonney. The Billy the Kid Reader contains some of the best articles on the Kid - including gems no longer in print. From the first dime novel that appeared shortly after his death to the research of today's historians, these writings bring Bonney's life into sharp focus. Nolan highlights two distinct schools of Billy the Kid studies: works of popularizers who tended to exaggerate his historical role, and the findings of grassroots researchers who have reassessed our perceptions of the Kid. Dozens of illustrations enhance the text, illuminating the Kid's career and notoriety. This collection shows that the life of William H. Bonney is not yet a closed book - far from it. Many versions of his life remain little more than unchallenged tradition. The Billy the Kid Reader puts that lengthy body of work in perspective and will satisfy seasoned Kid aficionados as well as first-time readers eager to learn more about the man and the legend.

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9780806157580

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Reviews

"""'No famous figure of the American West has more successfully and more tantalizingly resisted definitive understanding than Billy the Kid, ' writes Frederick Nolan, who should know. Perhaps today's most distinguished historian on the troubles in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, Nolan adds to his bibliography an engaging collection of more than a century of writing about William H. Bonney."" True West"

""'No famous figure of the American West has more successfully and more tantalizingly resisted definitive understanding than Billy the Kid, ' writes Frederick Nolan, who should know. Perhaps today's most distinguished historian on the troubles in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, Nolan adds to his bibliography an engaging collection of more than a century of writing about William H. Bonney."" True West

'No famous figure of the American West has more successfully and more tantalizingly resisted definitive understanding than Billy the Kid, ' writes Frederick Nolan, who should know. Perhaps today's most distinguished historian on the troubles in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, Nolan adds to his bibliography an engaging collection of more than a century of writing about William H. Bonney. True West

Author Information

Frederick Nolan is a leading authority on outlaws and gunfighters of the Old West. His award-winning books include The West of Billy the Kid; The Wild West: History, Myth, and the Making of America; and The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History. He resides in England.

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