The summer of 1876 was a key time period in the development of the mythology of the Old West. Those individuals were Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, and Jesse James. This book weaves all of the tales of these legends into one story in the Summer of 1876. This is a unique view and a wonderful to put all of the stories into one wonderful tale.

Insightful. I love reading about this period in time. Always looking for more!
Wimmer delivers with this THE SUMMER OF 1876.

The Summer of 1876 by Chris Wimmer was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. We grew up watching and reading tales of the "Old West," with the Wild, Wild West era being 1865-1900. I never thought of one pivotal year where many things came together until read this book. The author sums up many events we have all heard of and presents a history of the event(s). As always I will NOT go into specifics of the plot/storyline, as almost every other reviewer has done that for you. However, if you like history, the American Old West, outlaws, Cowboys, and Indians, or even some politics of the era, certainly give this book a read.

4 Stars

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this history that looks at a particular time in history where legends were made, reputations destroyed and the crack of the bat became an American pastime.

Reading history I am always amazed at the little things that lead up to larger events, when events can actually be called linchpins in history. My father deciding after school to not go right home, but stop by his favorite cousin's house where he meet his cousin's new friend from school, my mother. And now we can all read this review. Not a major event in history, but it is a good example. A person being shot in the hip, becoming a lawman later because hunting was hard, or a president who trusted to easily allowing a lot of shady characters into his cabinet. Even a leader who thought he knew so much better than everyone else riding off into the hills to teach those Indians a lesson. Little things that led to legends. Chris Wimmer, writer and podcaster in The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West looks at a time when the West became the west, from small fights, to larger battles, robberies, and corruption, and even a little bit of baseball.

1876 was a anniversary year, 100 years since the Declaration of Independence. Events were planned, parades, parties, and celebrations. However 1876 was a year that not only looked 100 years back, but looked ahead to a new time in America, a time of growth, legends, even organized sport. The biggest, of course, was the events at Little Big Horn and the elimination fo George Custer and his men, by the indigenous people. Gold was thought to be in those hills, and a country in recession needed it, treaties be darned. Into that rode the 7th Calvary Regiment, whose losing fight darkened the idea of celebrating an American anniversary, but also made the Indian Wars, as this time was called, more real, and much more vicious. This is at the center of the book. However also covered are Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickcok and Bat Masterton, men who wore badges and gave rise to many stories about lawmen and the west. Jesse James, who was just as legendary for the other side. In fiction there was Tom Sawyer, even the rise of organized sports with the National League in baseball, and much more.

The book is more of an overview of the era and what the consequences are. Much of the book is about Custer and Little Bighorn, with a whole lot of profiles, of others, presidents, lawmen, outlaws and other people. Some people might wish for more information, but this book is like a podcast in book form. Readers get the basics, and some stories, and if more information is wanted, there is a quite complete bibliography at the end for more reading. Wimmer is very good though at getting to the heart of people, sharing stories, and though they might be short they are very succinct. Wimmer has a nice style, and readers can tell he not only likes writing about the era, but wants others to enjoy what Wimmer is writing. Some might call it pop history, but it is vy good pop history, and would be a good place for people to start trying to get behind the legends which have been printed about many of the people in this book.

Recommended for readers who are new to history of the old west, and how events were far more interesting and complicated than television shows or movies made them. Definitely a good gift for Father's Day, or even Mother's Day if either parent cares about history.

The summer of 1876 was a crossroad in history where the stories of many of the key figures from the mythology of the old west burst into the headlines of the day. The author is very clear from the beginning that he is not attempting to write a comprehensive history of these individuals, but rather to show how1876 was an important turning point in their lives. Some went out with a bang, while others were lead into new directions. Those individuals were Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, and Jesse James. The author weaves together the timelines of the events that made these men legends and how they overlap, and he does so in the context of important events of the time such as the World’s Fair in Philadelphia, the legal troubles of President U. S. Grant, the invention of the telephone and the inaugural baseball season of the National League. The biggest portion of the book deals with the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the events leading up to it. He details both the actions of mindset of the Native Americans as well as the U. S. Army. He provides an excellent and concise history of the battles and Custer’s Last Stand. He also includes details surrounding Jesse James and the infamous Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery. To a lesser extend he details the stories of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp that summer as deputies in Dodge City, as well as Wild Bill Hickok’s murder in Deadwood. I would have loved to have had a little more detail on their stories, but that is one of the beauties of the storytelling. It lays out the basic tales and encourages you to search out other books for the stories that most interest you. I found the book to be very well written and engaging. One of those rare non-fiction books that I found hard to put down. It is strongly recommend to anyone who wants a good overview of the old west and Custer’s Last Stand in particular. I look forward to reading other books by this author. Thanks St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for a review.

Sorry, I wanted to like this book but the particular sentences repeated several times in the first few chapters, the chapters sounding too much like a college research paper and the jumping and lack of connectivity between scenes in the chapters made me put it down before the end.

320 pages

4 stars

Mr. Wimmer creatively weaves the happenings of the summer of 1876 together in an eminently readable format. He gives the background, sometimes going back years, of some of his subjects, such as Wyatt Earp, George A. Custer and Bat Masterton, among others.

I found this book to be both interesting and entertaining. I liked learning the background of these people. I especially enjoyed reading about the background of Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the other Native Americans who were gradually forced into what they felt was a corner who believed they had no option but to fight the Whites.

The history of Deadwood and Dodge City were discussed, as well as the ever growing gold rushes, especially in the Black Hills.

The central story of this book is Custer’s battle with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and those assorted tribes who followed them to war. The shockwaves caused by Custer’s defeat and death outweighed the United States’ first World’s Fair, the growth of towns in the West and all of the other famous personages listed in this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

A wild ride through the historic events that occurred in the summer of 1876. The author strives to capture the major events in a chronological order during the summer. To this end, the author relates the stories of Custer's Last Stand, Will Bill Hitchcock, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse just to name a few. There is good use of first-hand accounts to heighten the story and allow one to feel as if they are there. However, the attempt to corral all of these events, leads to the book being disjointed at times. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this look at history!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love “Legends of the Old West” podcast because Chris tells the stories of history in a humorous way with facts and research. This book is no different. It is jam-packed with old west stories told with facts new and old. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I rate this 5 out 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it was a major disappointment. A better title would have been “Custer’s Last Stand and Other Events of the Summer of 1876”. The majority of the book deals with Custer’s Last Stand with some other vignettes dealing with other western individuals and the National Baseball League which really didn’t have any teams in the west. I author had a propensity of mixing different events in a chapter without a smooth transition and kept repeating himself within a chapter and in following chapters. Overall, I cannot recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a comprehensive and orderly presentation of the events of 1876.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page

If I had to sum up this book in one phrase, it would be "too much of a good thing." Chris Wimmer's The Summer of 1876 is a book about a lot of things and despite Wimmer's easy writing style and clear love of the people and time period, the book is disjointed and frustrating.

The Summer of 1876 covers the lives and activities of the following people and events: George Armstrong Custer and his last stand, Jesse James and his robberies, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp in Dodge City, Sitting Bull, and for the most baffling reason, the National League, as in, baseball. The good aspects of this book are Wimmer's enthusiasm for these people and events along with his ability to distill down the information.

However, the good can't save the book. Custer's actions and his last stand take up an inordinate amount of space in the narrative when there are so many stories. Every one of the people and events explained above need their own explanations. The reader gets whiplash because the first half of the book is explaining the backstory of all of these people. With the exception of Custer's Last Stand, nothing else in the book gets enough attention to really enchant the reader. The inclusion of the National League's creation is particularly baffling. The story is usually slapped on the end of a chapter and has no effect on anything else other than it happened in 1876. Admittedly, Wimmer says in the beginning that he did not intend to be writing exhaustively on any of his subjects. However, the book suffers for it and would have been much better off taking the time to analyze less characters and events.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

An argument could be made that 1876 was one of the most influential years in American History. Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn signaled the end of the Native American's control of the western United States. The disastrous Northfield Raid led to the end of the James/Younger gang and marked the turning point between the armed gangs and the ability of law enforcement to protect their towns and banks. The hiring of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson as law enforcement officers signaled the beginning of the Old West period in American History. And the formation of the National League in baseball signaled the rise of organized sports.

Author, Chris Wimmer, definitely makes a compelling case for this thesis. In this totally enjoyable book, he outlines each of these pivotal events in a totally enjoyable narrative. If a reader wants a more in-depth analysis of each of these events, they can find them elsewhere. But that's not the purpose of this book. This book gives the reader just enough information to form an informed view of this critical time period. The book was a pleasure to read.

The Old American West is a history packed with many great stories some exciting and some tragic. Writing any narrative of this time period is very daunting and no easy feat. However it is very awesome to see Wimmer tackle this challenge and chronicle the events of 1876 so vividly. The traditional characters of the West come alive in this tale and I would highly recommend this to other fans of this era,

I’ve seen a lot of movies about the “Old West” in my life, but I haven’t done a lot of reading on the subject, so The Summer of 1876 seemed like a good place to start. The blurb presents it as almost a compilation of the Old West’s Greatest Hits, and for better or worse, that’s what it is. The problem is that, while the narrative weaves through the many different historical events that happened during the Summer of 1876, it never manages to successfully become a cohesive body.
Most of the book focuses on George Custer and the events that led to his demise at the Battle of Little Bighorn. This is interspersed with smaller sections of information about Wild Bill Hickock, Deadwood, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the James-Younger gang. That’s not really a huge issue, but the reader begins to wonder what the point of the book may be. If the author wanted to write a book about Custer and Little Bighorn, why not just do that? He still could have added some tidbits of information about the other things, but nothing besides Custer is really fleshed out. I suppose one could argue that the point is to be an overview of several different things that the reader can then go and read further on each subject at their leisure. But again, why? I won’t say I didn’t enjoy The Summer of 1876, because I did, and it piqued my interest enough to add several books to my TBR list. But one wonders if my time wouldn’t have been better spent just getting into those other books right from the start.
The bottom line is that, if you’re a little bit interested in the Old West but not enough to seek out more specified reading on the subjects mentioned, this might be the book for you. I don’t feel it was a waste of time, but I kind of feel like I ate a burger when I could’ve had a steak. Either way, Chris Wimmer does have a fine writing style and keeps things interesting throughout the book. He does manage to weave the many subjects together even if they don’t always make much sense in the context of the rest of the happenings. The baseball interludes are especially jarring amid gunfights. Still, The Summer of 1876 could be a good starting point if you’re interested but not sure where you want to start. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the book.

I thought The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West was a pretty good read and am giving it four stars.

This was an informative study of the time indicated. The author did a good job of bringing together the varied stories. He may have simplified some of the stories but that is to be e pected in the purpose of the book. The baseball aspect was an interesting addition but did not seem to add much to the story.

I have just finished my perusal of Chris Wimmer's "The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season that Defined the American West" (the ARC was graciously provided to me by St. Martin's Press), and I am very pleased to report that this accessible volume of popular history does a good job of touching on the events and personalities that dominated American thought in our Centennial year. The author is very clear from the beginning that he is not attempting to write a comprehensive history. The events he relates and the colorful cast of characters that he introduces include as a kind of centerpiece George Armstrong Custer and his adversaries at the Little Big Horn. Even as he relates the events surrounding "Custer's Last Stand," the author is at pains to bring together disparate strands representing everything from the growth of professional baseball to the outlaws who perpetrated the Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (he covers this at some length). He also reaches back into the West portrayed in American television in the 1950's and 1960"s by touching on the exploits of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Buffalo Bill and other even more colorful characters like Calamity Jane as well as the outlaws they combatted and Native Americans who struggled, collectively, to maintain their freedom against overwhelming political and social pressures. The book is a fast read, and it is very well written even as it presents a broad overview of our nation and the events that shaped it in the Centennial year. It is an excellent book to use as a jumping off place for further study in more depth. I recommend it without reservation.

If the author wanted to write a book about custers last stand, he should have just done that. This book is ostensibly about the entire summer, but really focuses on 2 things, Custer and Little Bighorn (literally the book is 65% finished before he moves into July 1876) and the James Younger gang, The book perpetuates the ‘plains’ and ‘wild west’ mythos to an uncomfortable degree in addition. Lastly, I find it hard to believe that calamity Jane and Libbie Custer were the only 2 women of consequence in this consequential summer. All in all, shoddy and poor.

Too often, history books never provide context outside of the event(s) they're covering. The reader is left in a vacuum, with little idea of the other events happening simultaneously. This book aims to rectify that by taking the summer of 1876 as the focal point, and showcasing all of the events and people that were making headlines during that time. It allows the reader to see the big picture, and to make the connections that wouldn't be present in a book with a narrow focus. I look forward to seeing what books Wimmer writes going forward.