The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns,and Other Characters of the Lawless West
by John Edwards Ames, John Ames
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Book Summary Information
Author: John Ames, John Edwards AmesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-08
ISBN: 1596090316
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Chamberlain Bros.
Book Reviews of The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns,and Other Characters of the Lawless West
Book Review: A waste of dead wood
Summary: 2 Stars
Having read a lot of books on the history of the wild west (and old west), I was attracted to this book because its subtext sounded interesting.
I wasnt aware there was a tv drama series called Deadwood, and since the book instantly starts making references to it, I was initially very confused. The author doesnt give any introduction to the tv series, he just assumes you know about it (which I didnt) and also assumes youre interested in it (which I wasnt).
The references to the tv series continue consistently throughout the book, making constant references to the actors and how they might compare to the original people. I really didnt care if Ian McShane has a british accent but his historical counterpart, Al Swearengen, didnt.
After a while this really starts to grate, and does little but to dilute the already thinly spread factual content in the book.
The book has 162 pages, but the lines are quite literally, 1cm apart. To look at, it reminded me a bit of an Enid Blyton novel.
Its not ALL bad though. There are some nice photos scattered around the book. I liked the ones of the old street scenes, or people standing outside a saloon. Theres also quite a few photos of the people being discussed, which are also nice but quite widely available.
The author discusses the various characters such as Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickock, and touches briefly on a few other people. the book didnt really provide me with any interesting new facts about these people, that I hadnt picked up from other books Ive read. There is however an interesting 5 or 6 pages on medicine of the era, including some nice anecdotes about the patent medicine concoctions which were so prevalent at the time.
Incase you hadnt guessed by now: I was, on the whole, very disappointed by this book. It seems half-heartedly researched and strikes me as an attempt to just cash in on the (presumed) popularity of the tv series.
To Summarise:
If you like the series, and havent had any real background reading of historical frontier times, I imagine you might like this book.
If instead, you're more interested in the historical facts, events, and peoples way of life around that time, then I'd really recommend you look elsewhere.
More The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns,and Other Characters of the Lawless West reviews:
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