Wild West Shows Paperback – June 2, 1999

Excellent!

Reddin's book takes a look at America's reaction to the closing of the west as a frontier. Reddin takes his reader from the rise of wild west shows to its eventual demise along the way you get to know not only the people that were involved to the shows but an insight into how it went from the idea of preservation of a cultural history to an entertainment for world wide audiences. The book is painstakingly researched by the author and fits well in any library of western americana or study of the Guilded Age in America. A must read for anyone with an intrest in the history of America between Civil War reconstruction and WWI.

This is an outstanding book. It is well researched, well written, engaging, and fun. Reddin discusses not only Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West show, but also the painter and showman George Catlin, the Miller brothers and their 101 Ranch and wild west show, and Tom Mix, the silent film cowboy. The Catlin segment of the book is fascinating and well conceived. I recommend this book highly.