Outlaws and Peace Officers: Memoirs of Crime and Punishment in the Old West

by Stephen Vincent Brennan (Editor)

This New York Times' bestseller features the West’s most prominent lawmen and criminals, who tell their stories of fight, death, and survival.In the romantic narrative of the Old West, two larger-than-life characters emerged as the perfect foils for each other-the rampant outlaw and the heroic peace officer. Without the villain, sheriffs would not have needed to uphold the law; and without the sheriff, villains would have had no law to break. Together, both personalities fought, lost, and triumphed amid shootouts, train robberies, and bank holdups against the backdrop of the lawless American frontier.This spectacular New York Times' bestselling collection of true memoirs and autobiographies, told by the very people who lived these criminal and righteous lives during the Old West, reveal the outlaw and peace officer at their worst and best. Watch as Mark Twain introduces notorious gunslinger Jack Slade; hear about Theodore Roosevelt’s encounters with men, women, and game from Roosevelt himself; read sheriff Pat Garrett’s biography of Billy the Kid, the outlaw he killed; and listen as lawmen Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp describe each other in their own accounts. Including other carefully curated stories by Tom Horn, Cole Younger, and more, Outlaws and Peace Officers invokes danger, honor, and the fight for survival during this perilous but exciting chapter in American history.

Genres: Westerns, Nonfiction

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2016

About the author

Stephen Brennan is the co-author of The Adventurous Boy's Handbook and The Adventurous Girl's Handbook, and editor of The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told and The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told. He has worked as a circus clown, teacher, cabaret artist, actor, director, shepherd, and playwright. He lives in New York City and Woodstock, New York.

Reviews

[Ron Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read on the real old Wild West, the truth as told from the observers. Could get a little long & the action was a little slow, but I enjoyed it.

[Peter Barnett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh

Only paid 99 cents for it. About 98 cents more than I should have paid. Disjointed, convoluted and poorly written.

I have a real interest in this genre but this particular book just did not do it for me. Too difficult to finish.

[Timothy Meier]

Informative and interesting