Tombstone: An Iliad of the Southwest by Walter Noble Burns

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Reviews from GoodReads

****

It’s odd to think that much of Tombstone’s history comes from this book. It is at best an historical fiction. The book is delightfully written and fun to read. This and a few other books, written not as histories, but to sell books, form the basis of Tombstone history. With at least one side lying, court cases, letters and newspaper articles don’t come much closer to the truth. No wonder historians of Tombstone argue so vehemently to this day. Tombstone is a great western story and should be read by anyone interested in western history.

****

It’s odd to think that much of Tombstone’s history comes from this book. It is at best an historical fiction. The book is delightfully written and fun to read. This and a few other books, written not as histories, but to sell books, form the basis of Tombstone history. With at least one side lying, court cases, letters and newspaper articles don’t come much closer to the truth. No wonder historians of Tombstone argue so vehemently to this day. Tombstone is a great western story and should be read by anyone interested in western history.

****

One of the classic and standard works on the history of the town of Tombstone Arizona. The centerpiece chapters cover the arrival of the Earps and their rocky relationship with some of the local denizens including the Clantons and others. The book is mostly factual, based upon articles printed in the local newspapers, especially the Epitaph and the Nugget. From my reading of this book, it seems to provide the lion’s share of the material we accept as Gospel relating to the Gunfight at (or near) the OK Corral. Subsequent books have clarified and modified some of the info, but Burns seems to be the original print narrative of the tale.

****

I’m something of a “Tombstone buff”….and enjoyed this book greatly. It fills in many of the gaps and helped paint a much better and authentic picture of what was going on in that part of the country, in the couple decades after the civil war.

****
Really a rollicking telling of the rise and fall of the bandits of the Tombstone region. Little about the rise and fall of the economy or growth of the town itself. Florid writing with lots of shooting.