Books West Magazine

A historian offers the biography of the soldier and explorer for whom Pike's Peak is named, describing his amazing expeditions through areas that would become modern-day Mississippi, Minnesota and Arkansas before being captured by the Spanish.

Much has been written about the west—most of it clouded by exaggeration and fabrication. Since 1953, True West magazine has been devoted to celebrating the West’s true colors, giving the men and women who settled there accurate voices, exploring every triumph and tragedy of their time—and exposing every vice and virtue. True Tales and Amazing Legends of the Old West commemorates these unforgettable cowboys, Indians, and city slickers through a mix of classic histories and brand-new narratives, all illustrated with photographs—many reproduced here for the first time—of the people and places that gave rise to America’s Western mythology. With twenty-six stories that blend fact with folklore, this collection abounds with accounts of the famous and the infamous, including Sacagawea, Wild Bill Hickok, Pancho Villa, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Davy Crockett, and Wyatt Earp. Also here are lesser-known figures whose stories were pivotal to shaping the culture of the era, such as European conquistador Francisco Coronado, rancher “Black Billy” Hill, and fearless lawman Orlando “Rube” Robbins. Other tales recount the wide open plains, lawlessness, drama, mayhem, and promise embodied in the Old West. Whether you’re a history buff, an Old West devotee, or simply someone who is fascinated by the characters of America’s early years, these timeless tales and photographs epitomize the legendary spirit of what it meant to settle the West.

Description: How many movies would you go to see about an outlaw named Henry the kid? probably not 44, which is how many Hollywood has made so far about Henry McCarty, the boy Outlaw who use the Alias Billy Bonnie of course we know him today is Billy the Kid. If you saw the Young Gun movies or any of the numerous other portrayals of the West's most famous boy outlaw, you no doubt have many questions about the real Billy the Kid.Did he actually kill 21 Men, one for each year of his life?Did he carve notches on his gun?Were Billy and Pat Garrett good friends?Did Billy cheat death and live out his life as Brushy Bill?Here's a factual look at Billy the Kid and his world, with many never-before-published photos. This well-crafted book is profusely Illustrated with over 460 images, including over 100 paintings and illustrations by the author, plus rare maps and images that provide a vivid look into the numerous controversial episodes in the Kids short life. It is a revolutionary, new-style history book that is informative and entertaining for young and old alike.

From its launch in 1945, Ebony magazine was politically and socially influential. However, the magazine also played an important role in educating millions of African Americans about their past. Guided by the pen of Lerone Bennett Jr., the magazine’s senior editor and in-house historian, Ebony became a key voice in the popular black history revival that flourished after World War II. Its content helped push representations of the African American past from the margins to the center of the nation’s cultural and political imagination. E. James West's fresh and fascinating exploration of Ebony’s political, social, and historical content illuminates the intellectual role of the iconic magazine and its contribution to African American scholarship. He also uncovers a paradox. Though Ebony provided Bennett with space to promote a militant reading of black history and protest, the magazine’s status as a consumer publication helped to mediate its representation of African American identity in both past and present. Mixing biography, cultural history, and popular memory, West restores Ebony and Bennett to their rightful place in African American intellectual, commercial, and political history.