About this item
The definitive true story of Wild Bill, the first lawman of the Wild West, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dodge City.In July 1865, "Wild Bill" Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt in Springfield, MO -- the first quick-draw duel on the frontier. Thus began the reputation that made him a marked man to every gunslinger in the Wild West.James Butler Hickock was known across the frontier as a soldier, Union spy, scout, lawman, gunfighter, gambler, showman, and actor. He crossed paths with General Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody, as well as Ben Thompson and other young toughs gunning for the sheriff with the quickest draw west of the Mississippi.Wild Bill also fell in love -- multiple times -- before marrying the true love of his life, Agnes Lake, the impresario of a traveling circus. He would be buried however, next to fabled frontierswoman Calamity Jane.Even before his death, Wild Bill became a legend, with fiction sometimes supplanting fact in the stories that surfaced. Once, in a bar in Nebraska, he was confronted by four men, three of whom he killed in the ensuing gunfight. A famous Harper's Magazine article credited Hickok with slaying 10 men that day; by the 1870s, his career-long kill count was up to 100. The legend of Wild Bill has only grown since his death in 1876, when cowardly Jack McCall famously put a bullet through the back of his head during a card game. Bestselling author Tom Clavin has sifted through years of western lore to bring Hickock fully to life in this rip-roaring, spellbinding true story.
About the Author
TOM CLAVIN, whose most recent book is TOMBSTONE, is a bestselling author who has worked as a newspaper and web site editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for The New York Times covering entertainment, sports, and the environment. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. Four of his books have been New York Times best sellers: THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT IS, DODGE CITY, HALSEY'S TYPHOON, and THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY. Other books that have received popular and critical acclaim include the third book in the "Frontier Lawmen" trilogy, WILD BILL, as well as VALLEY FORGE, ALL BLOOD RUNS RED, RECKLESS, THE DiMAGGIOS, and LUCKY 666. Tom is also a nationally syndicated columnist and "The Overlook" can be found at tomclavin.substack.com. His next book, BLOOD AND TREASURE: DANIEL BOONE AND THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA'S FIRST FRONTIER, his latest collaboration with Bob Drury, will be published on April 20 by St. Martin's Press. For more information, go to tomclavin.com
