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Classic Gunfights
Discover the facts behind the romance of Old West gunfights. Historian Bob Boze Bell has put together a terrific book on the reality of gunfights in the wild American West. From infamous outlaws such as Billy the Kid, and well-known lawmen such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, to brawling madams, this book covers 24 gunfights that made a mark in western history. Profusely illustrated with historic photographs, maps, and period illustrations you'll have a front row seat for these shootouts. Written in an engaging style, these histories give a brief bio of the shooters involved, usually a map or diagram of the location of the gunfight, and the aftermath of the shooting. Fascinating sidebars give added information on various topics. A must read for those interested in the true history of the Old West.
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2003
11 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Bob Boze Bell
41 books14 followersBob Boze Bell has always sought to get both the look and the history right. He has published and illustrated books on Earp, Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday and classic gunfights. Bell’s artwork and writing has appeared in Wild West, Arizona Highways, Playboy and National Lampoon. He appears often on the Encore Westerns channel, serves as a talking head on documentaries and since 1999 has been executive editor of True West magazine. “All the artwork I run in the magazine,” he quips, “the magazine gets for free.”
He’s been drawing as long as he can remember, and even as a child he often drew cowboys and gunfighters with an eye to accuracy.
“I hate fakery of any kind,” he says. “I don’t like low-back saddles, Hollywood hats, batwing chaps, inaccurate vests. It drives me crazy.” So is he a historian or an artist?
“I would say I’m actually a cartoonist,” he says. “I don’t really consider myself a historian, because I have historian friends that apply a certain academic level that I don’t have, I don’t claim to have, I can’t claim. But I just want to know the truth for my own sense of me. So I share that, and it’s taken for what it’s worth. I think I’m dismissed by a lot of people for not being a real historian. But I don’t give a damn.”
Bell is actually more of a Billy the Kid fan than a Wyatt Earp fan, but his real heroes are artists Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington and Norman Rockwell. “Those, to me, are the three big dogs,” Bell says. “No one has topped them.”
He loves scratchboard, pen and ink, and gouache, a form of watercolor. “I work on deadline constantly,” he explains, “and I can’t use oils, which is actually a medium I enjoy, because that takes too long to dry.
“Some of the best things I’ve ever done I’ve done on my lunch hour. And some of the worst things I’ve ever done I’ve spent three months on. You figure it out.”
He’s been drawing as long as he can remember, and even as a child he often drew cowboys and gunfighters with an eye to accuracy.
“I hate fakery of any kind,” he says. “I don’t like low-back saddles, Hollywood hats, batwing chaps, inaccurate vests. It drives me crazy.” So is he a historian or an artist?
“I would say I’m actually a cartoonist,” he says. “I don’t really consider myself a historian, because I have historian friends that apply a certain academic level that I don’t have, I don’t claim to have, I can’t claim. But I just want to know the truth for my own sense of me. So I share that, and it’s taken for what it’s worth. I think I’m dismissed by a lot of people for not being a real historian. But I don’t give a damn.”
Bell is actually more of a Billy the Kid fan than a Wyatt Earp fan, but his real heroes are artists Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington and Norman Rockwell. “Those, to me, are the three big dogs,” Bell says. “No one has topped them.”
He loves scratchboard, pen and ink, and gouache, a form of watercolor. “I work on deadline constantly,” he explains, “and I can’t use oils, which is actually a medium I enjoy, because that takes too long to dry.
“Some of the best things I’ve ever done I’ve done on my lunch hour. And some of the worst things I’ve ever done I’ve spent three months on. You figure it out.”
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 4, 2019
I love these books! Love the separate sections for reading about each gunfight. Makes it nice whether you have 5 minutes or an hour to read. Love the artwork and the explanation of where info is verified and when it is not.
September 6, 2023
Super interesting. If you are interested in the old west, you'll love this book.
July 10, 2024
Delivers a lot of interesting historical information in easily digestible chunks.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews