The Gunfighters

How Texas Made the West Wild

De: Bryan Burrough

Narrado por: Fred Sanders

“One hell of a good read.” —The New York Times

“One of the most important books written on the American West in many years.” —True West Magazine

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Big Rich and Forget the Alamo comes an epic reconsideration of the time and place that spawned America’s most legendary gunfighters, from Jesse James and Billy the Kid to Butch and Sundance

The “Wild West” gunfighter is such a stock figure in our popular culture that some dismiss it all as a corny myth, more a product of dime novels and B movies than a genuinely important American history. In fact, as Bryan Burrough shows us in his dazzling and fast-paced new book, there’s much more below the surface. For three decades at the end of the 1800s, a big swath of the American West was a crucible of change, with the highest murder rate per capita in American history. The reasons behind this boil down to one word: Texas.

Texas was born in violence, on two fronts, with Mexico to the south and the Comanche to the north. The Colt revolver first caught on with the Texas Rangers. Southern dueling culture transformed into something wilder and less organized in the Lone Star State. The collapse of the Confederacy and the presence of a thin veneer of Northern occupiers turned the heat up further. And the explosion in the cattle business after the war took that violence and pumped it out from Texas across the whole of the West. The stampede of longhorn cattle brought with it an assortment of rustlers, hustlers, gamblers, and freelance lawmen who carried a trigger-happy honor culture into a widening gyre, a veritable blood meridian. When the first newspapermen and audiences discovered what good copy this all was, the flywheel of mythmaking started spinning. It’s never stopped.

The Gunfighters brilliantly sifts the lies from the truth, giving both elements their due. And the truth is sufficiently wild for any but the most unhinged tastes. All the legendary figures are here, and their escapades are told with great flair—good, bad, and ugly. Like all great stories, this one has a rousing end—as the railroads and the settlers close off the open spaces for good, the last of the breed, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, really do get on a boat for South America, ending their era in a blaze of glory. Burrough knits these histories together into something much deeper and more provocative than simply the sum of its parts. To understand the truth of the Wild West is to understand a crucial dimension of the American story.

How each character came alive

The history with all its errors almost comical were it not for the sheer number of murders.

Lest we forget the things we did not remember.

Loved the footnotes and references. Big plus for the pace and enunciation making it a pleasurable listen for a septuagenarian.

Engaging

Great stories delivered in easy to listen format, not overly analytical or pretentious. Could have gone another five hours happily

Wish it wasn’t over.

Desperately wish this was never ending. Very very good. Love authors personality in this. Great narration also.

gunfighters

I am not sure if it's was the way it was written or performed but it seemed a little to clinical? A ton of great and cool information. Just a little cold...

Well, worth it.

I think the author did a great job with sharing solid information and history facts without bias.

Real history vs sugar coated history

I’ve read more books on the “old west” and been to the actual locations than most folks. I’m an avid western pulp artist Texan and I consume historical lore of that era constantly over my 53 years. I prefer my history without the sugar coating as many in these comments seem to prefer. This book separates the fact from myth and pulls NO punches with the truest accounts of what we know and what is assumed. There’s a lot we will never know and it does a fine job stating that fact.
The folks in the reviews bashing this book likes their myths Kentucky fried and Disney’d up. If you ain’t scared of the facts and logic you’ll like this book. The narrator does a fine job too.
Bravo Zulu

Hits the target

A very compelling book. The author tells the stories in an entertaining and informative way. Plus, Mr Burrough candidly describes his search for facts and gives credit to his sources. A refreshing approach to historical writing.

The debunking of romantized gunfighter stories

A great book, we'll written and engaging. I found the stories informative and eye opening.

Great read!

Loved the detailed versions of actual gun fights and the people involved. Highly recommend reading if you’re a history buff.