BAT MASTERSON

by Richard O'Connor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 15, 1957

A period piece in a true Western figure- Bat Masterson- whose fame rivalled that of his one-time associate, Wyatt Earp. Bat could take credit for assassinating a string of anonymous Indian warriors, but his tally of identifiable, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt victims was a modest, humble and self-effacing three. He never robbed a mail-train, broke into a bank, or committed any headline felony. Why then is he classed among the illustrious gunfighters of the Old West? Wherein rests his assurance of immortality? What excuse is there for this meticulous biography? It lies in the diversity of his achievements, his prowess in each chosen field of endeavor. His speed on the draw was incredible. As a law-enforcer, during his tenure in Dodge City working with Wyatt Earp, Bat was a phenomenon of preventive justice. In gambling he was stalwart; as a hunter of buffalo, superb; as a pursuer of Indians, braver than any brave. Eventually, he landed on the Morning Telegraph as a sports columnist, and his knowledgeableness about boxing, his roughhouse prose, his geniality brought him metropolitan fame. Bat lends himself perfectly to O'Connor's style,- his gentle irony, his sophistication, his flair for color, his awareness of the dignity Bat and his segment of history deserves. A superior portrait- in the genre.

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 1957

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1957

Categories: NONFICTION