Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters

by Bill O'Neal

Much information (some of it factual, a lot of it fictional) is available about the famous gunfighters of the Old West―the Jameses, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, John Wesley Hardin, and that latter-day folk idol, Butch Cassidy. Dozens of less-well-known but sometimes even more murderous gunslingers―such men as Cullen Baker, Harvey Logan, Longhaired Jim Courtright, and Mysterious Dave Mather―have received only scant mention in scattered accounts. This encyclopedia―a who’s who of the gunfighting West-provides a compilation of facts, sifted myths, folklore, and outright lies, about the lives and deaths of 255 men, both the famous and the all but forgotten. Also included are detailed accounts of the almost six hundred gunfights the men took part in, mostly between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the century. Each entry follows a concise and useful format: an alphabetical listing of the gunman; nicknames or aliases; dates and places of birth and death, is known; the occupations the man pursued; a brief biography; and, in chronological order, accounts of the verified gunfights in which he participated.  In the Introduction, from the information he amassed in this volume, Bill O’Neal provides a fascinating summary of the data and offers new insights into the nature of the western gunmen and of the feuds and fights that bloodied the West. For example, he relates how a large number of the gunfighters used guns as tools of their trades, legitimate and otherwise―lawmen and detectives, buffalo hunters, army scouts, thieves, hired killers, and the like. Of the gunfighters included here 108 served as law officers at some time in their careers. The average lifespan, including those who died of natural causes, was forty-seven years, and more than 50 percent of the gunmen died from gunshot wounds. Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters offers a unique compilation of information about these men―a comprehensive and reliable source.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Westerns

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Bill O’Neal is an American historian of the West, author of more than 25 books and hundreds of articles, longtime Panola College professor, frequent documentary contributor, and recipient of the 2003 NOLA Literary Award.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, okay. I grew up on "tales of the American west". Being a child of the '50s my TV viewing, movie preferences and much of my early reading was of the genre.

Here we have an attempt at a "factual" account of the Gun-Fighters of the "old west". (I don't say "gunmen" as there are some female entries).

While it's a fairly interesting book it is really something that would require a multiple volume effort. There are holes in the list (no J.B.Books for example) and the writer tends to record EVERYTHING that was ever suggested about the personalities. (I doubt Wyatt Earp could have lived long enough to do all that is attributed to him...and he'd have to have been a multiple personality suffer to have accomplished it all). I think an easy fix here would have been had he simply said the people were "alleged" to have been (for example) a gambler, horse thief, bunco artist, marshal, deputy sheriff, "Indian" fighter, buffalo hunter, army scout, etc., etc.,etc.

So, read for interest, but if you are looking for a bit more serious fare maybe go for individual bios...???

Skimmed...etc. 3 stars.

[Josef · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this (hardcover) book. It is something that is just neat to have in the library, and I will be buying it soon. It is honestly just a really well-structured book, and I see few issues with it, however it isn't flawless.

I can understand some being upset on the sheer amount of information about people who may not have been so well-recorded as presented. This is completely understandable, as the book is very straightforward with facts and personalities of each and every gunfighter featured. It seems a little cocky.

Then again, I would be much less immersed if every sentence had "allegedly" or "according to an anonymous source" behind it, so this doesn't bother me at all. Just read with a grain of salt and you'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

The pictures are well placed, and are occasional but enjoyable. The statistics in this book are mostly surprising, and very interesting to read on such as occupations of gunfighters and their relationships. Spoiler alert, gunfighting and being on the lam runs in the family!

TL;DR: This is a great book to have handy if you like western history, 4.1/5.