History of "Billy the Kid"

by Charles A. Siringo

Reprinted only once since its first publication in 1920, the History of Billy the Kid is the rarest book on the New Mexico gunfighter. Born in Texas in 1855, Siringo was a cowboy, Pinkerton detective, western writer, and Hollywood advisor until his death in 1928, and crossed the Kids path once or twice in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico. His account incorporates some inaccuracies but offers genuine historical nuggets such as cowboy Jim Easts eyewitness account of the Kids capture by Pat Garrett at Stinking Spring. Enormously popular at the turn of the century, Siringo single-handedly kept Billy the Kids flame alive until the 1920s. Historian Frederick Nolan discusses the place of Siringos account in Billy the Kid literature.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, United States, Westerns, American History, Crime

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Charles Angelo Siringo (February 7, 1855 – October 18, 1928) was an American lawman, detective, bounty hunter, and agent for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Reviews

[Calvin Isch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billy is a terrible person. I felt slimy just hearing about him. Also, I’m not sure how historically accurate this piece is. Still, worth a gander to think about historical circumstances that would have allowed for such a person and encouraged others to admire him.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...three stars might be a little generous for this book. The author assumed a certain degree of familiarity with the people in the story and threw out a lot of names pretty quickly. About all I knew about Billy the Kid was that he was an outlaw and that he was killed by Pat Garrett. Other than me getting a little lost in who was who, this was a fairly decent synopsis of Billy the Kid's life -- and it was enough to let me know that I don't necessarily want to delve deeper. What a tragic waste of life -- both his and those people he killed seemingly with no remorse.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Billy the Kid's life - told by Charles A. Siringo - a contemporary, and containing personal notes from other contemporaries to the author regarding the Kid's life and death. I imagine that the writers of films Young Guns I and II based the screenplays largely on this work, which are quite true to the source material. Interesting and short read.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! It wasn’t written very well, but the stories were fun! It wasn’t the typical Billy the Kid stories. Some of them were, but even the ones that were typical had different insights. I have always enjoyed the story of Billy the kid. So it’s not too much of a surprise that I enjoyed this book.

[Jeff Ferry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A passable book about the "true" story of Billy the Kid by an author who was a contempory of the Kid. It's a short read and is pretty much a series of vignettes of the Kid's life. It's a much better read if you are familiar with the movies Young Guns I and II.

[AJ Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very historical book.

The book was extremely enjoyable and seemed very historical in nature. The author depicted Billy the Kid as he probably wasn't true life. This book is definitely a must-read for history Buffs an individuals who completely enjoy the Southwest history.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

He was awful and I found no nobility in him. Good reading by the narrator.

[Lorenzo V]

Short fast read.
Good "1st hand" account of the life of William Bonney.
Puts to rest the idea that Billy was forced by circumstances to become an outlaw and killer.

[Paula Schumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. The author tells the life story of Billy the Kid in this biography. The book comes from the author’s conversations and letters from Billy himself. Recommended.

[Amy Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading these old historical accounts written by people who were there.

[Barbara Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting would have liked a little more detail.

[Curtis Hu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a police report rather than for entertainment.

[Dimitrios Dritsas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the book is written by a contemporary author and is full of accurate information, it is quite a dry read, especially given the tumultuous life of Billy The Kid.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1920. There was a style to books of that era. Just kind of "the facts" nothing but the facts. But it is also nearly 40 years after events.

Seen John Wayne in Chisum one too many times. So had to read about the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid. More of the movie is based on fact than I thought.

[Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the intro, I thought this book would be told as if from some old timer in a bar. To my surprise it read like a long newspaper article stating mostly facts with some commentary. It was a quick read great for a before a afternoon nap.

[Robinb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this while getting ready to go to New Mexico.

[Dan Panke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a historical book written by someone who actually knew and met "Billy the Kid". However, the writing is very poor and really could have been jazzed up a great deal with a co-author.

[Robert Kradoska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story from eye witnesses, written about 1920

[Lonnie lee shieds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I will always like a very good western, like the read surly was. I hope to read more in the future.

[Angela Bain · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical information is good but way to many spelling errors

[Susan Molloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book was published in 1920. The author claims to have known Billy the Kid, and sets forth writing about his life. It’s written in a sort of homespun manner, with simple sentences, casual syntax, and a tone that made me imagine an old man s