The Mammoth Book of the West : The Making of the American West

The story of the American West is one of the classics of mankind. This account is at once an anecdotal history and a compendium of Western lore. It shows what life on the frontier was really like and portrays the brave, strong and violent men and women who explored, fought for and finally tamed a continent. From the pioneers, the cattle barons, the coming of the lawmen and the tragic demise of the Plains Indians, all the heroes and villains of the West are here - familiar names such as Sitting Bull, Doc Holliday, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Crazy Horse, Custer, Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok. As well as giving a narrative of the American West this volume includes a mass of detail, including the words of Navajo medicine chants and the way in which cowboys warmed the bit for their horse's mouth, and finally, how the Wild West has entered the culture of America and the rest of the world through its depiction in movies and television Revised and expanded edition of Jon E. Lewis's ever-popular account of the American West. The book is at once a history and a compendium of western lore. It tells what life on the frontier was really like and gives a human portrait of the tough and sometimes violent way of life experienced by the early pioneers. The gunfighters and the cowboys, women, Indians and others, all have their part to play - and as well as the historical accounts there are intriguing anecdotes of everyday life on the plains, from how Montana cowboys warmed up their horses' bits, to the words of the Navajo medicine chants. Jon E. Lewis. Originally Published: 1996. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.