Pat F. Garrett's The authentic life of Billy, the Kid /

Few figures are as associated with the Wild West as Billy, the Kid. As with many of those frontier figures, the myths, often created by pennydreadfuls and B movies, have overshadowed the truth. Sheriff Garrett was both Billy's friend and the man who eventually sent him to the last roundup. With the help of ghostwriter Ash Upton, Garrett published what he called the Kid's Authentic story in 1882. This annotated edition, however, shows that it wasn't quite so authentic after all, and here, Western historian Frederick Nolan includes notes and commentary correcting falsehoods written by Upton along with 19 period photos. Was Billy a true Western hero fighting for justice in New Mexico's Lincoln County War or simply a wacko who enjoyed killing? Find out here. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.