They Knew Billy the Kid

Robert F. Kadlec [Editor]; Jeff Dykes [Afterword];

ISBN 10: 094127036X / ISBN 13: 9780941270366

Published by Ancient City Pr, 1987

Paperback. Clean and unmarked. Binding strong. Light wear. Seller Inventory # AJ053

Synopsis:

Book by

From the Publisher: ...narratives that have never before appeared in print...
During the Great Depression¹s WPA New Mexico Writers' Project, workers collected reminiscences, local lore, ballads, legends about the Kid, his family, Pat Garrett, and the Lincoln County War. Over 25 vivid accounts, memories from old New Mexico residents. Afterword by Jeff Dykes, compiler of BILLY THE KID: THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF A LEGEND. The New Deal and Folk Culture Series."Super little book . . . adds a keystone to any library of the Southwest." BOOK TALK, November 1987"Easy reading, free of over-intellectualized history." PASATIEMPO, December 18, 1987"I thought everything worth saying [about Billy the Kid] has long since been said. Well, I was wrong!" SANTA FE REPORTER, May 11, 1988"Robert F. Kadlec¹s selection of interviews focusing on Billy the Kid is interesting and useful . . . All, even the most demonstrably nonsensical, reveal what a towering figure of legend the Kid had become by the 1930s. . . The interviews are of value to the historian as well as the folklorist. . . For characterization of people and the tempo and color of everyday life, they yield rich fruit. Collectively, these narratives, the vast majority of which have never appeared before in published form, present a colorful--and often contradictory--picture of the multiple roles Billy the Kid played in the folk imagination of Southwesterners. . . This book should serve to fuel the controversy anew, and, one hopes, make it even more interesting." JOURNAL OF THE WEST"Very enjoyable reading. These firsthand accounts are always interesting, because you get the feeling and texture of how life was in the late 1870s and early 1880s . . . Marta Weigle¹s notes at the book¹s end provide valuable bibliographical and historical reference information enabling the reader to delve further for more detailed study. . . The book should be a part of your collection, whether you are interested in The Kid specifically, or in New Mexico history of that era. . . Valid in terms of revealing the nuances and colors of his time and circumstance." THE KID, June 1989"Any careful student of new Mexico history, especially one interested in New Mexico¹s outlaw days, will find this book both interesting and informative." Spring 1989

Bibliographic Details

Title: They Knew Billy the Kid
Publisher: Ancient City Pr
Publication Date: 1987
Binding: paperback
Condition: Very Good