A Wyatt Earp Anthology: Long May His Story Be Told

by Roy B. Young, Gary L. Roberts, Casey Tefertiller

Wyatt Earp is one of the most legendary figures of the nineteenth-century American West, notable for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Some see him as a hero lawman of the Wild West, whereas others see him as yet another outlaw, a pimp, and failed lawman. Roy B. Young, Gary L. Roberts, and Casey Tefertiller, all notable experts on Earp and the Wild West, present in A Wyatt Earp Anthology an authoritative account of his life, successes, and failures. The editors have curated an anthology of the very best work on Earp—more than sixty articles and excerpts from books—from a wide array of authors, selecting only the best written and factually documented pieces and omitting those full of suppositions or false material. Earp’s life is presented in chronological fashion, from his early years to Dodge City, Kansas; triumph and tragedy in Tombstone; and his later years throughout the West. Important figures in Earp’s life, such as Bat Masterson, the Clantons, the McLaurys, Doc Holliday, and John Ringo, are also covered. Wyatt Earp’s image in film and the myths surrounding his life, as well as controversies over interpretations and presentations of his life by various writers, also receive their due. Finally, an extensive epilogue by Gary L. Roberts explores Earp and frontier violence.

Genres: Biography, Westerns

937 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Julie Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely marvellous collection of 63 essays which cover Wyatt Earp's life, times, and legend. And they say they had to leave some things out! Perhaps a Volume 2 will be called for in the future to catch up with the discards and take into account the evolving discoveries.

This is a great resource of key texts and info, especially for those of us who have less access to the journals and magazines. While the whole feels fairly balanced to me, that merely shows that my point of view is roughly in alignment with the compilers and editors. There is at least one ardent "Earp debunker" included in here, along with the undeniable story of the "Peoria Bummer". On the whole Wyatt is presented as a fully-rounded and long-lived human being with the usual complexities of positive and negative traits and actions.

The history and biography does evolve, though, and Earp studies has been through significant upheavals over the past couple of decades while a few key scholarly texts were revealed as being compromised to the point of being fictional. Hence, some of the earlier essays included in this volume are brilliant and insightful about their main topic, but occasionally a bit outdated on some secondary aspects. It can be tough to keep up with all the developments and their implications! A reader coming to this volume fresh might end up confused - but all I can say is "Keep reading!" This whole area of biography, history, and historiography is fascinating, and will amply reward the effort.

[Alan Beattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW
A tome of massive proportions of one of the legendary figures of the American West.
An assemblage of 63 essays compiled by three major historians and experts Roy B Young,Gary L Roberts and Casey Tefertiller.
Brilliantly written oustandingly researched life of Earp in chronological format. Life,Times,Legend,Triumph and Tragedy.
This huge book contains a staggering amount of quality articles from numerous Publications,Books,Newspapers,Magazines and Legal Records.
It is an excellent reference source for research,historians,writers and readers of the American West.
An absolute necessary requirement for anyone with a smidgen of interest in Wyatt Earp and the History surrounding his life.
An immense opus of significant value.
Published by the University of North Texas Press who are a quality publisher of the highest standard. Paper,binding,jackets are superb. A joy to own.
Alan R Beattie
Americana Books

[Kasey S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Thorough

The compilation of these articles not only described Wyatt, but every single aspect of his life and the era he lived in. I read a lot of new information that I never knew before. Recommended for any Wyatt enthusiast.

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Long May His Story Be Told" - Let's hope not. The Anthology is riddled with poorly written essays and articles to the detriment of the reader. Dry, verbose, using the vernacular of the Earp's period - to the point I began to think plagiarism, and unoriginal. Filled with quotes, citations (expected) and references of little consequence (do I really need to know about xxxx who is mentioned only once without any idea why except that he was there?) It would be much improved to simply provide the referenced material in whole and let the reader decide who Wyatt Earp was. There are a few works which use modern language and citation standards, making them more interesting reading.

I'm familiar with anthological work and didn't expect any firework, embellished drama; but, this is so badly done by authors trying to mimic their writing style of the period they are writing about that the message is almost lost in the words. Thankfully I've read other books about Earp that do a better job. Honestly he doesn't deserve all this obsessive, minute detailed attention.

I'm not sure I would call this a "balanced" effort only an effort to find the biographical "truth" of Wyatt Earp's life, which became emblematic of his period. The excessive attention to what is "true" or not seems to become less important when put back into context of his time.

If the reader is interested in an unvarnished, and I do mean "rough", focus of Earp and wants to have only one book of reference, this is it. However, there are better written books that will give the reader much the same information.