Billy the Kid, His Life and Legend

by Jon Tuska

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This tour de force of western scholarship, a revised and expanded version of Tuska's Billy the Kid: A Bio-Bibliography, adds ten year's worth of scholarship to the earlier effort. Tuska provides a carefully documented biography of the Kid; bibliographical essays on historical scholarship, fiction, films, and cultural criticism; and a chronology of his life and death.

Tuska's careful scholarship and analysis of sources refutes the mythical embellishments that have surrounded Billy the Kid. He concludes that in order for such a legend to arise, it is necessary for a historical character to have qualities that permit ambiguous interpretations of his behavior.

"A model for others who would study legendary heroes of the American West". -- Choice

"Anyone interested in Western outlaws will find this handsomely illustrated volume indispensable". -- Los Angeles Herald Examiner

  • ISBN10 0585276714
  • ISBN13 9780585276717
  • Publish Date December 1997
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint University of New Mexico Press
  • Format eBook
  • Language English