The Gunfighter: Man or Myth

THE GUNFIGHTER MAN OR MYTH is a surprisingly complete look at the wild west. He goes beyond a study of gunfighters to the various bodies of lawmakers, the vices, guns and much more. On the subject of lawmen he covered the history and some adventures of the Texas Rangers, the Pinkertons, and the U.S. Marshals. The cowboys, cattle drives and the Texas Longhorn cattle were examined. Mr. Rosa had short essays on some of the prominent gunfighters from both sides of the law. Among those were the Earps, Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, and "Mysterious Dave" Mather. Another fascinating subject was the handguns that were so instrumental in the life and death of a gunfighter. He explored the manufacturers and the models they sold. What was even more interesting was the individual modifications some of the shootists used for safety or to enhance the use of their gun. He also addresses the reasoning for some of carrying more than one pistol. Among the myths that the author dispelled was the quick draw. It wasn't a normal part of a gunfight. Situational preparation and "deliberation" were under-rated factors. On page 180 Mr. Rose wrote; "Legend has made all the shootists appear much better shots than they were. But there can be no doubt that some of them were great pistol men." This book not only accomplishes the goal of separating the gunman from the myth, it educates the reader on other relevant topics in the life of the gunfighter. Also helpful are the footnotes to sources and the Index. I recommend this book.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be just a "thin" myth-busting account of gunfighters but it is actually a beautifully written account of the western culture from which gunfighters appeared. It is extremely well-written and anyone who is interested in the West should enjoy it immensely. As a professional photographer, I have had a fascination with ghost towns of the West since the late 1960s and this book has greatly increased my understanding of those towns in their heydays. Surprisingly, the book doesn't really spend too much time on gunfighting itself. I found another review here to be a bit baffling when it says that the book goes into endless details about who shot whom, where they were shot, which gun they used, etc. I have to wonder if they actually read the book because that's not a good description of it at all. This book doesn't glorify or demonize gunfighters. It explores the culture that produced gunfighters. It puts them into the context of their times and, as such, is a wonderful historical account of the West itself, not just gunfighters. Being a voracious reader, I can say that this book was a complete surprise to me. Rosa is an outstanding and insightful author. It's ironic that an Englishman was able to best put western culture into context. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history even if they have no interest in gunfighters.

This book is actually very useful. Besides relating dozens of stories of real gunfights the author acutally gets inside the head of the gunfighter and tries to figure out what made him tick. The reader learns for example that it usually wasn't who drew the fastest that won the gunfight but rather who had the greater nerve and time enough to aim. It's also amazing just how many shots were fired in the typical gun fight. And how many of those shots usually missed their mark. A testiment to just how much nerve and steadiness entered into the equation. I found the details such as where bullets hit and what types of guns mankillers preferred and why to be invaluable. I highly recommend this book. It's a good read with lots of information that's been compiled with hundreds of footnoted sources.