RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Book Review His Life and Many Legends By ALLEN BARRA Both the name "Wyatt Earp" and the place "the O.K. Cor ral" are known by most Americans. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood have both portrayed Earp on screen, and numerous books and articles have been written about him since the famous battle took place. "About half a minute after the first two shots were fired, every participant in the fight was dead or wounded, except for Wyatt Earp." Allen Barra is a sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal. He has always been interested in stories of the West and decided to research this well-known figure. The book is well-researched and detailed. Barra thinks that we have confused the real Earp and the film and TV figures. He recounts the facts, as far as they are known, about Earp's life and compares them with the legends that have grown over the years. He credits Earp with an "uncanny instinct for where the money would be" and traces his career from his early days of buffalo hunting through cattle shipping in Wichita in his days as a lawman. We may forget that he was also a gambler and businessman. In exploring the facts and possibilities, perhaps he tells us a little more than we really want to know. However, it was certainly a most interesting life, and for those, like most of us, who are intrigued by tales of the Old West, it is fun to revisit them. Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday, Earp's friends and colleagues, receive their share of attention, too. The towns of Tombstone and Dodge City are part of the story, places that seem to symbolize gunfire and adventure. "It sounded like Dodge City" is part of modern American language. Barra's prose is not deathless, and we could wish for better editing, but the subject seems to be endlessly fascinating. As the author says, "In the end, it's not important that all the heroic exploits of Wyatt Earp actually happened, although many of them did. What is important is that Wyatt Earp was the man with the right qualities in the right age in the right time to become the stuff of legends."
Inventing Wyatt Earp is available in the Mary Willis Library.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
