About this item
Veteran journalist and historian Steve Wiegand takes readers across the post-Civil War Wild West. Wiegand introduces -- or re-introduces -- us to lawmen such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp and outlaws such as the Younger and James Brothers, as well as larger-than-life figures such as Buffalo Bill and George Custer. He details the stories of these real-life legends, the aftermath and legacies they left behind, and the innumerable myths frequently attributed to them. Juxtaposing their real lives with the often-outlandish accounts of their exploits, 1876 swings from lighthearted humor to cliff-hanger suspense. It also portrays how the Wild West's initial, tantalizing promise of fame and glamour often disintegrated. But 1876 also offers readers a unique element noticeably absent from most Wild West books: historical context.
About the Author
Steve Wiegand is an award-winning journalist and history writer. His 35-year journalism career was spent at the San Diego Evening Tribune, where he was chief political writer; San Francisco Chronicle, where he was state capitol bureau chief, and Sacramento Bee, where he was a special projects writer and politics columnist.Wiegand is the author or co-author of eight books, including The Dancer, the Dreamers and the Queen of Romania; U.S. History for Dummies, which is currently in its fourth edition and has been published in both Chinese and German; the Mental Floss History of the World; Papers of Permanence; Lessons from the Great Depression for Dummies, and The American Revolution for Dummies.He is a graduate of Santa Clara University, with a bachelor's degree in American history and literature, and has a master's degree in mass communications from San Jose State University. He lives in Arizona, where he enjoys playing poker and the harmonica, although not at the same time.
