Davy Crockett

U.S. Landmark Books #57

by Stewart H. Holbrook, Ernest Richardson (Illustrator)

A biographical account of the frontier hero who became a symbol of the restless westward movement across the American continent.

Landmark Books #57.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

179 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1955

About the author

Stewart Hall Holbrook (1893 - 1964) was an American lumberjack, writer, and popular historian. His writings focused on what he called the "Far Corner" - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. A self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian, his topics included Ethan Allen, the railroads, the timber industry, the Wobblies, and eccentrics of the Pacific Northwest.

He wrote for The Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. He also produced a number of paintings under the pseudonym of "Mr. Otis."

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a boy...it may have been the first book I owned. I got it as soon as I could read. It was the late 1950s, Fess Parker WAS Davy Crockett and I lived in the mountains of Tennessee... of course I wanted the book. It's a boy's book about the young hero and I have managed to hold on to it for 50 years in spite of losing other books this one has somehow stayed with me. I rate it 5 because I hold it and a few others high in my memories of boyhood and my early love of reading. It brought together my loves of being in the woods and reading also...I have always loved outdoor pursuits and were we in the same area camping, I'd be the guy by the campfire with a book...and using a flashlight if it got late and I couldn't position myself to get enough light from the fire.

Nostalgically giving this one 5 stars, in memory of my youth.

[Rich Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another book I tackled on my journey to reread as much of the Landmark series that I can still find, this being one of the few still available through interlibrary loan to Chicago. I recognized while reading this one that one of the things that makes the series fascinating, this book included, is that while the dialogue isn't accurate, except for some famous quotes, it makes me (the reader) invested in the story. Holbrook brings Crockett to life, even if it is in a sometimes-makes-you-gag patriotic way. It exudes "American" values through folktale with stories like that of the young Crockett being given a single bullet with which to hunt and not being able to eat if he used the shot and missed. The first quarter of the book really is just a love story to shooting, leading up to a shooting contest that brings him notoriety.

I also get a kick out of hearing about just life in general though the lens of the series. I got a kick out of the use of the word "grinning" animals into submission. I found it interesting that in a couple of sentences they move from Crockett's first wife dying to him marrying a neighboring woman who lost her husband in the war because it's practical, right? The pair shack up and move west.

Finally, I appreciated the list of landmarks listed in the back. As someone who is interested in protecting these landmarks and adding new ones to give voice to the past so we celebrate it when possible and learn from it when necessary, I thought it was a great idea to add a quick index of significant places.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crockett's life is amazing. Trained from eight years old how to shoot, he got his first job at 12. He won his wife in a shooting contest. When he became a judge, he spent the first few weeks solidifying his spelling and reading. Many other such like things are told of this fascinating man.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining juvenile biography of one our country's most famous heroes. I am re-reading books of my youth. This is my 120th read of Landmark’s American history books series. Just two more to go!

[Yaaresse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a bunch of the Landmark series books as a kid. Our school library had a huge collection of them, so I just made my way down the shelves. I remember enjoying them, but I was too young at the time to question the narrative slant. I just liked reading biographies and histories, and there wasn't a lot of interesting non-fiction for kids at that time. Most of what did exist was either boring or more myth than fact. These books did not talk down to the reader, which I appreciated.

Each Landmark Book was written by a different author, each highly respected and invited to contribute to the series. There is a wonderful article on the Landmark Books series on the American Historical Association website: https://www.historians.org/publicatio...

I'm rating them on the memory of enjoyment alone, not on accuracy or how they would go over today. Fortunately, kids today have a lot better from which to choose.

[Geraud · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a book about the adventures of Davy Crockett as a kid, the book belonged to my dad when he was a kid, it was a french translation and I can't retrieve this book. So I figured out this was the book although I can't be sure. In any case it was a good read for a kid.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the style of the book or his life.