Book Review: Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull: Inventing the Wild West

Authors

John H. Monnett, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Date of this Version

2004

Document Type

Article

Comments

Published in Great Plains Quarterly 24:1 (Winter 2004). Copyright © 2004 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Abstract

Bobby Bridger has written a lively paced biography of Buffalo Bill Cody. Although the subtitle, Inventing the Wild West, promises much, Bridger's emphasis is strictly on interpretation of Cody's personality rather than a revision of the scout's significance to Great Plains history or the presentation of new material. This theme fits well into Bridger's avocation as an entertainer, producing and presenting A Ballad of the West, a trilogy of one-man shows depicting America's frontier period. The book covers Cody's early years through the Indian Wars, the days of his Wild West extravaganza, and his last years.