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Average Customer Rating:

Very Good Indeed	Customer Rating:
This is very good bit of research and writing, an entertaining read. To me it is a companion work to Casey Tefertiller's Wyatt Earp biography. Both are great reads and both seem to let the facts, the research, lead them where they may.

CONFUSING REVIEW WHERE I EXPECTED ENLIGHTENMENT

Customer Rating:

The review appearing here by Ardell Young, which I expected to be well-researched in view of other reviews under that name, was misleading. It cites Glenn Boyer in the same rabid anti-Earp category as Frank Waters. The fact is that, Boyer, a lifelong friend of the Earp family, did more than anyone to turn around the debunking of Earp by such writers as Waters. His books are all pro-Earp, and his research added another 95% to public knowledge of the Earps compared to what was known (and assumed to be all that would ever be known about them) when his first book Suppressed Murder of Wyatt Earp appeared in 1967. It is available on Amazon still in an updated edition. Young's review, in the light of the facts is libelous. As premier Earp-authority and author Lee Silva commented, "We wouldn't know much about Wyatt Earp if it wasn't for Glenn Boyer's research and writing." Anyone who reads Boyer's published works will be as confused as I over Young's review. Did this individual ever read Boyer? A good place to start in highlighting Young's misconceptions is the Epilogue to I Married Wyatt Earp.(Also available on Amazon.) As for Barra's book, it's a fun read, especially if you know a lot about the Earps, which Barra didn't when he started out. He can write circles around the highly-touted insta-authority, Casey Tefertiller.

Frequent typos, poor editing doom otherwise good book

Customer Rating:

When I start a project, I generally finish it. That includes reading a book. But I can't tell you how many times I nearly shelved this book in disgust all because of the MANY typos, omitted words, unclosed quotes and unclosed parentheses, etc., as other reviewers have previously noted. Mr. Barra thanks his proofreader in the acknowledgments but I don't know why. If she is the one responsible for all these many mistakes - I lost count but there must be scores - Mr. Barra's gratitude is misplaced. That the book is informative is without question. It is, accordingly, unfortunate to the extreme that mere editorial sloppiness made reading it almost painful. I'm not usually uncharitable in my remarks about the well-researched work of others but this book is undeniably the poorest example of editing that I have ever encountered for published material. It's sad that simple things like spelling and grammar and syntax overshadow scholarship.

Christmas Gift For Grandpa	Customer Rating:
I got this as a Christmas gift for my Grandfather and he seemed to like it.

Highly Readable and Entertaining Account of Wyatt Earp

Customer Rating:

I enjoyed this book on Wyatt Earp even though I have read several others primarily because I like the author's writing style and presentation. He assumes that you at least have a familiarity on Wyatt and he interjects his take on various controversies and adds a perspective based on facts and sometimes, although less concrete, on a point of view that seems to complement what rationally occurred. In these cases, it virtually feels like he has stopped to talk to you about the controversy as opposed to writing a dissertation. An example is his periodic references to other authors such as when he refers to Paula Mitchell Marks (Live and Die in the West: The Story of the OK Corral) who wrote a book with a fascinating sociological point of view. Barra challenges her when he references her comment that the judge presiding over the charges against the Earps and Holliday after the OK Corral fight was biased in favor of the Earps, Barras points out that judges are always biased in favor of those that enforce the law unless they are proven to be grossly negligent thus her point of view, in his opinion, is not relevant. Thus the book is not just a retelling of the facts and that is what makes it most interesting. The book covers the early days, Tombstone, Earp's post Tombstone career where he continuously seems to be a speculator looking for the big investment while times change around him particularly in regards to gambling, betting and saloons and the author has a very relevant look at Earp and the movies with an excellent review of all the Earp films, their misrepresentations and some detail on why many distort the real story, such as John Ford's desire to sell a movie and not necessarily a straight history. One nugget that I enjoyed was reading about Wyatt's offer of peace with Ike Clanton after the severe wounding of his brother Virgil that was reportedly turned down by Clanton. This, which I have not read before, would reinforce that Earp was not a rash man but one who acted with straight forwardness and deliberation. Only after the murder of his brother who was shot in the back and after Clanton and Frank Stillwell appear near the train station in Tucson as the wounded Virgil prepares to departs does Wyatt start his vendetta ride. Some previous reviewers note that the book has several errors, and there certainly may be a few, but I wish each would name some of them to justify their complaints. In doing so, that would provide constructive criticism and allow for reference checks and perhaps more debate. The story of Tombstone, like the Earps, will never die and Tombstone is still a fascinating place to visit, virtually a living history, with lots to see, like the original Birdcage Saloon. It may be out of the way but anyone fascinated with the west and the story of the OK Corral (or the alley next to Fly's studio to be more accurate) will find the trip and town a rewarding experience.