Standoffs, saloons, and sunsets spring to mind when one envisions the rough and tumble early days of the American frontier.

Sifting factual information from among the lies, legends, and tall tales, the lives and battles of gunfighters on both sides of the law are presented in a who's who of the violent West

With over 1000 entries and 400 illustrations, this volume is the most fact-packed history of the West ever assembled. Crime historian extraordinaire Jay Robert Nash has left no stone unturned in his search for the gunmen, train robbers, gangs, desperadoes, range warriors, gamblers, and lawmen that roamed the frontier. Contrary to popular myth, the Wild West was not a glamorous land where chivalry and courage were the custom and a man died with his boots on. It was a land of incredible hardships—brutal weather, hunger and disease, and the constant threat of violent death. Everyone carried a six-shooter, neutrality was impossible, and violence unavoidable; lawmen and outlaws lived side by side, and often there was no telling one from the other. Into this land came pioneers lured by promises of great fortunes, ex-Confederate soldiers embittered by the outcome of the war, greedy cattle barons, and merchant princes. It was truly an explosive mixture.Included in this volume are all the great Western legends—Billy the Kid, Jesse and Frank James, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Judge Roy Bean, ”Wild Bill” Hickock—and a host of lesser-known figures who, though they may have missed notoriety, were equally lethal. And while the West was very much a man's world, several women managed to shoot, steal, or gamble their way to fame—including Belle Starr, Pearl Hart, and Calamity Jane.A compelling read, Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen & Outlaws will be the standard reference for years to come. In addition to alphabetical listings, it offers a glossary of lawmen and a glossary of outlaws, a magnificent photo and illustration appendix, and an extensive bibliography of books on the American West.

Presents portraits of sixteen notable gunmen of the Southwest, most of them largely unknown.

This book is the most fact-packed history of the West ever assembled. Written by crime historian extraordinaire Jay Robert Nash, it leaves no stone unturned as it scours the plains and mountain ranges of the Old West in search of the gunmen, train robbers, gangs, desperadoes, range warriors, gamblers, and lawmen that roamed the untamed land. It is alphabetically arranged with over 1,000 entries and 400 illustrations.--[book jacket].

These are the guns of legendary lawmen, outlaws, and TV heroes. Includes brief biographies of more than 50 gunslingers, half from the Old West and half from Hollywood, plus fascinating stores about 1950s and 1960s celebrities.

A lively reference covering a century’s worth of shooters, sheriffs, and more in the Lone Star State. The Lone Star State is known for producing both vicious outlaws and valorous lawmen. While Machine Gun Kelly terrorized urban civilians, lawmen such as Ranger John Barclay Armstrong tried to keep things under control. This is the story of Texas’s most famous criminals, intrepid lawmen—and in the case of James Edwin Reed, both—as well as such figures as the legendary Judge Roy Bean. This reference brings to life a time before the West was tamed, and also includes a chronology of well-known crimes and a locale list of notorious events.

Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Belle Starr, Wyatt Earp, the Younger Gang, the Dalton-Doolin Gang and Bat Masterson--these real-life lawmen and lawbreakers have been the basis of so many Hollywood Westerns that it has become difficult to discover where the truth ends and the legend begins. All actually became larger-than-life characters during their lifetimes, as contemporary newspapers and books embellished their deeds for their own purposes. But it was in Hollywood that the line between reality and myth was completely blurred. Each chapter-length entry here first focuses on the known facts of the people's lives and how each became truly legendary during their lifetimes. The reality is then compared to how they have been portrayed in the movies.

Whoa, pardner! Sit y'self down for some good ole storytellin' 'bout the wild, wild West. Western writer Phillip W. Steele and country-music artist John D. LeVan have combined their talents and interests in true stories of the Old West in this exciting narrative and accompanying audiocassette. Steele's book tells the true story of Jesse James, the Daltons, John Wesley Hardin, Gunfight at the OK Corral, Belle Starr, and Billy the Kid. LeVan's original songs are not only entertaining but also based on the true history of these personalities and events.