LITTLE ANNIE OAKLEY AND OTHER RUGGED PEOPLE

In somewhat the vein of his memorable Lost Men of American History, Holbrook takes his readers backward through American history, down uncharted paths, in a series of delightful pieces, pure Americana, that delve into and glorify the myths that have grown up around people and places, famous and little known, in our national history. A motley crew, including along with Annie Oakley, the ""original Nature Boy"" Joe Knowles, Harvard's murdering Professor Webster, Calamity Jane, Ethan Allen, Buffalo Bill, General Lew Wallace, Okay Fuller, bull cook extraordinary, and others. Interspersed among these character bits are rich, historical views of Northfield, Minn., the town that stopped the James boy; Tombstone, Arizona; Boston's Scollay Square, old Harvard and Louisburg Square. Then there's the wartime bombing of Oregon, the author's own experiences in logging camps, and enthusiastic sketches of the near-extinct Yankee. Lively reading.