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The Wild West: 365 Days
The Wild 365 Days is a day-by-day adventure that tells the stories of pioneers and cowboys, gold rushes and saloon shoot-outs in America's frontier. The lure of land rich in minerals, fertile for farming, and plentiful with buffalo bred an all-out obsession with heading westward. The Wild 365 Days takes the reader back to these booming frontier towns that became the stuff of American legend, breeding characters such as Butch Cassidy and Jesse James. Author Michael Wallis spins a colorful narrative, separating myth from fact, in 365 vignettes. The reader will learn the stories of Davy Crockett, Wild Bill Hickok, and Annie Oakley; travel to the O.K. Corral and Dodge City; ride with the Pony Express; and witness the invention of the Colt revolver. The images are drawn from Robert G. McCubbin's extensive collection of Western memorabilia, encompassing rare books, photographs, ephemera, and artifacts, including Billy the Kid's knife.
744 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wallis
46 books77 followersMichael Wallis is the bestselling author of Route 66, Billy the Kid, Pretty Boy, and David Crockett. He hosts the PBS series American Roads. He voiced The Sheriff in the animated Pixar feature Cars. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 26, 2013
The Wild West is an incredible photo history featuring rare photos from the collection of Robert McCubbin, publisher emeritus of True West magazine. Historian and raconteur Michael Wallis provides an entertaining and informative narrative for each illustration.
While the book is designed as a story/picture-a-day book, it's engaging enough to be read as an overview of the colorful American West. Readers learn stories bawdier than fiction, more tragic than drama.
The entries skew towards the Southwest and Southern Great Plains and feature archetypal Western characters: lawmen, outlaws, Indians, gamblers, cowboys, soiled doves, etc. Some readers would prefer more about the Pacific West and Northwest. As far as the archetypes go, the book proves fiction of the American West hardly stands up to the real thing.
While the book is designed as a story/picture-a-day book, it's engaging enough to be read as an overview of the colorful American West. Readers learn stories bawdier than fiction, more tragic than drama.
The entries skew towards the Southwest and Southern Great Plains and feature archetypal Western characters: lawmen, outlaws, Indians, gamblers, cowboys, soiled doves, etc. Some readers would prefer more about the Pacific West and Northwest. As far as the archetypes go, the book proves fiction of the American West hardly stands up to the real thing.
October 19, 2020
This is a coffee table book. At the top of each page is an almanac entry for what happened in the West on that date. Each date has its own story about a person or an event. The pictures are tremendous.
October 23, 2017
I really enjoyed the Old West history shared in this book. The pictures brought the stories to life.
August 10, 2016
This is a really fascinating daily reading book! Each day starts with an brief excerpt of what happened "on this day in history." (So, for December 31, it says "1852 In California, the most prosperous year of the gold rush ends, with $81.3 million in gold mined." The others are less lame than this one...)
Then we have a daily story about a famous character or event in the old west. Many outlaw, bank and train robbery stories, and featuring old wild west shows and other dramatic events. Last, the author presents us with one to three very intriguing photographs of nineteenth century American West history that, to me, were the best part of the book. Apparently, it was a custom to have one's picture taken with dead and propped up outlaws, which makes for very interesting and amusing reading.
Given how much history of the old west there is to cover, I thought the selections were always interesting and the combination of the text and pictures masterful. As a denizen of New Mexico, I was delighted to learn how much desperado-lore originated in my home state.
As a collector of such books, I buy only Kindle versions because when I travel I like to have access to each of the books each morning, without having to carry them in my suitcase. I liked this book so much that I actually bought the hard-bound version as well! That's a 5 star book!
Then we have a daily story about a famous character or event in the old west. Many outlaw, bank and train robbery stories, and featuring old wild west shows and other dramatic events. Last, the author presents us with one to three very intriguing photographs of nineteenth century American West history that, to me, were the best part of the book. Apparently, it was a custom to have one's picture taken with dead and propped up outlaws, which makes for very interesting and amusing reading.
Given how much history of the old west there is to cover, I thought the selections were always interesting and the combination of the text and pictures masterful. As a denizen of New Mexico, I was delighted to learn how much desperado-lore originated in my home state.
As a collector of such books, I buy only Kindle versions because when I travel I like to have access to each of the books each morning, without having to carry them in my suitcase. I liked this book so much that I actually bought the hard-bound version as well! That's a 5 star book!
June 30, 2014
This is not a "history book." It is not an almanac or a diary. Yes, you can take a year reading an entry per day, but I didn't.
Each entry contains a replica of an original drawing, etching, painting or photograph of the subject matter. It can be as narrow as a particular place or person, or as broad as a tribe or an activity (such as the fur trade). There are few citations or indications beyond the statements as to the corroboration for the notes provided. For me, Wallis succeeds in easily expanding my understanding of the American West, its attractions and challenges. He captures the slippery nature of both words: "wild" and "west."
I am glad that I found this book.
Each entry contains a replica of an original drawing, etching, painting or photograph of the subject matter. It can be as narrow as a particular place or person, or as broad as a tribe or an activity (such as the fur trade). There are few citations or indications beyond the statements as to the corroboration for the notes provided. For me, Wallis succeeds in easily expanding my understanding of the American West, its attractions and challenges. He captures the slippery nature of both words: "wild" and "west."
I am glad that I found this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews