Why the West was Wild

The legendary characters of the American Wild West.

The American West was a wild, wild place. During a brief but sensational period, the West was a collision of rough terrain and rougher players.

Why the West was Wild is a historically-accurate and colorful book that explores:

• Real and imagined promises of opportunity
• The certainty of adventure
• The few laws that governed an immense frontier
• Lively individuals who populated the region

The diverse mix of ranchers and farmers, cheats, swindlers and pioneers, all contributed to shaping the Wild West. Many Civil War soldiers, newly discharged and not afraid of a fight, migrated to the western states. They were resisted by fierce warriors, such as the Comanches, who fought the incoming pioneers and newly arrived immigrants. Gamblers followed the gold rush prospectors and risked their lives for lucrative poker wins. Gangs of thieves pulled daring heists and were pursued by lawmen who had to be as ruthless as the criminals they pursued.

From tales of cowboy showmen like Buffalo Bill Cody to outlaw legends like Billy the Kid, young readers will thrill to the dramatic storytelling that shows why the Old West was so extraordinary. As well, engaging graphics, vivid artwork and evocative archival photographs combine to bring the West to life in a way that celebrates the enduring spirit of those who braved a menacing frontier.

This history shows just why, for a fifty year period in the 19th century, the American West was an extraordinary place. Dramatic storytelling are combined with engaging graphics and archival photographs.

Susan Hepler, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

An overview of some of the characters and the events that shaped the American West is presented in some twenty-one double page topical spreads. They include "Crossing the Continent," "Buffalo Hungers," "Vigilantes," "Indian Wars," and others on the California gold rush, ranchers, the gamblers and dance-hall girls, sheriffs, train robbers, gangs, and judges who dotted the landscape. Given the scope of some sixty years which the book encompasses, these necessarily quick sketches introduce the novice to the landscape and events of the time without going into depth. The overviews are accompanied by period photographs, many too small to make out faces or the telling details, artwork selected from well-known chroniclers or imaginers of the time such as Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, George Catlin, William Robinson Leigh, and others, plus several etchings or line art of the times. While the book mentions African Americans several times, none are named and Bill Pickett appears only in a small sidebar in the epilogue. The book's format includes text, captioned pictures, and an added sidebar which sometimes is accompanied by a related photo, and confusingly to the reader, sometimes irrelevant to them. Thus, one sees several stagecoaches with a seemingly matching caption about the ill-fated Donner Party. An index of proper names and a few subject headings help the researcher. Readers may be further interested and turn to many of the works of Russell Freedman, Candace Savage's Born to Be a Cowgirl (Tricycle Press, 2001), Andrea Pinkney's biography of Bill Pickett, accounts of pioneer trips west, and other books that delve more deeply into the subjects this book ably introduces. 2004,Annick Press, and Ages 10 to 14.

Wayne Swanson, an avid history buff, grew up in the Canadian West hearing the stories and legends of cowboys and outlaws. His work appears in magazines across North America.