Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons on the Frontier, 1840-1900

by Joseph G. Rosa

Based upon contemporary and informed opinion, Age of the Gunfighter tells of a tempestuous time and many a notorious gunfighter. Few of those who achieved fame and a reputation lived into old age. Ed Masterson, Tom Smith, and Bill Tilghman, for example, died in the line of duty. Others, like Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid, were murdered because of their reputations, at the hands of the law or for personal or financial gain. And the few who survived into old age in the twentieth century, such as Wyatt Earp, were men out of place and time, steeped in nostalgia for an era gone but immortalized as the age of the gunfighter.

Genres: History, American History, Westerns, Nonfiction, True Crime

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Joseph G. Rosa was a historian of the Wild West, author, and the chief biographer of Wild Bill Hickok as well as several other figures of this period.

Reviews

[Abonrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult book to read, but only because of its physical size.
An educational & well illustrated with vintage pictures & photos of vintage weapons commonly used in the era.
The book focuses on the gunfighter era from 1860 through 1900 & lays to rest much of the myths with contemporary newspaper articles, references to other works of frontier history & Rosa's own research.
The book is divided into four general sections: The Violent West, Feuds & Range Wars, Cowboys & Cowtown Chaos, & Law & Order: From Guns to Gavel.
The narrative is well written & provides both details and an overview of the "taming" of the West from lawlessness to vigilantism to law & order as Eastern civilisation gradually moved westward.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good old west history. Hard to believe it's written by a Brit!

[Mark Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visually, one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

[Michael Eklund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tall book, with a rather good storytelling about the historical Gunfighter. Some really cool pictures of the weapons used.

I will read this again.

[Dom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book