Tough Towns

by Robert Barr Smith

The lawless days Old West lasted only a short time, but the stories of its outlaws and the havoc they wreaked are legendary. Tough Towns reveals the small American towns that fought back when criminal gangs invaded their quiet streets, making heroes of ordinary citizens and local lawmen who wouldn't be pushed around by armed hoodlums.

Genres: Westerns, History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Robert Barr Smith, Colonel, USA (ret). senior parachutist; holds Bronze Star, Legion of Merit (x2), other decorations. Service in Vietnam and many years in Germany, where his fiction is laid. German speaker. Otherwise specializes in military and western history, plus several books on trial practice (under his attorney hat). Graduate of Stanford and Stanford Law; member, California Bar. Professor Emeritus, University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he also served as Associate Dean for Academics and Associate Director of the Law Center.

Reviews

[John Soria]

This book is, in essence, a collection of short, true stories of how citizens foiled the plans of some of the famous and not-so-famous outlaws in the Old West. The author gives all accounts of each story, even if they're conflicting, and notates them as such. He also gives his own best guesses as to what may have happened during the undocumented time periods. He does have personality, and uses it to bring life to the characters. But because of this, all the characters have the same personality. But the stories are interesting enough to move along on their own, and short enough to get through without getting tired of the same voice delivering them. A good read if you're into the stories from the time period, and a great tribute to the "regular folk" who lived their day-to-day lives as the brave and honest citizens of the Old West.

[Hayley Stone]

A marvelous collection of true stories from the Old West that depict the courage of the common man (and, in some cases, woman, too!) as well as the cowardice and foolhardy bravado of the American outlaw. Robert Barr Smith writes with authority and charm, providing the right amount of detail and character to the tales. I especially loved his casual inclusion of slang from the time period, which I felt enhanced the narrative significantly, invoking the fun and gritty spirit of the period. Often, the book read more like a novel, and at no point did it ever feel like Smith was just relating dry facts. Easily one of the most enjoyable non-fiction books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Heartily recommended for fans of history, and particularly of the American Old West.

[David]

A great historical account of old outlaws from the citizens point of view

[Kyle Mcmahon]

Its a dang good book, it gets alittle boring at times