Fascinating look at the history of this iconic city. The author brings to life Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and others of the Old West

I love reading about early American history, and Dodge City by Tom Clavin is a wonderful addition to anyone's historical library. The stories about Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson are interesting and captivating. This book is filled with historical facts about the town, it's founding and what made it so famous, but it's also about the people that made up this town.

In his book, Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West, Tom Clavin tells the true story of the wildest settlement on the American Frontier. Originally begun near an Army fort, Dodge City became known for its gunfights, cattle drives, and general chaos. It would take men with steel spines and strong hands to subdue the lawless and bring civility to a town that some claimed was too tough to tame.



Dodge City is an engaging and entertaining read, well researched and written with humor. The narrative is fast-paced and bursting with colorful characters like Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holliday who are larger than life and whose deeds are chronicled well. More than just powerful personalities, the book is about the history of a town that fought to survive and then began to thrive. Although the constant scene and subject changes make it difficult to track at times, Dodge City is well worth the time for those who want to immerse themselves in the true story of the American West.

I found this book entertaining and informative. I’ve always been interested in the story of Wyatt Earp and so I requested this book. In my opinion the book shines because it doesn’t just concentrate on the “good guys”, Bat Masterson, the brothers Earp, Doc Holiday, etc. but it also gives the back story to some of the outlaws who were active at the time, William Bonney, etc. A good start for anyone who would like to know about the history of the “Wild West”.

Very rarely do I find myself unable to get in to a book. I love learning about the American West and all that topic encapsulates. I mean, in the current U.S., we all portray ourselves as the real American Cowboy with our attitudes and how we show ourselves to the world. In WI, there's even an old west festival in Virocqua that is fun to relive what we imagine the wild west to have been like. I may or may not have seen a bison walking on a leash the time I made the trip to Virocqua. Rodeos and cowboy boots and lassoing contests are all part of American culture idealizing this time period of our shared history.

Multiple times I attempted to get in to this novel. It felt more like an assignment to me than something I was reading in my spare time for fun unfortunately. The topic itself is fascinating, as Clavin traces the history of the Dodge City and our main characters, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Overall, the topic saved the book for me. I learned quite a bit, but it was really a struggle to stick with it. This is a book that will probably sit on the shelf and not be re-read. The writing style may be a style that appeals to other readers, however I did not enjoy reading this novel.

Please be advised that I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The true story of Dodge City. A well written non-fiction that will interest those from Kansas or those interested in the "wild west." The readability would fit in a public non-fiction collection. For a display idea, it would be ideal to match with any popular western movies to pair along to a "now learn the facts."

Is the world looking for another tale of Wyatt Earp? Are readers looking for dirt on Bat Masterson? Does anybody want to read about Dodge City (KS)? Tom Clavin hopes so as he has written just that book.

In Dodge City, Clavin provides a history of the founding of Dodge City and its heyday as "the wickedest town in the West." He provides information on how the town got its name, early history and then the arrival of the cattle from Texas leading to growth, gambling, and mayhem. But this book is not just about the city. It is also a history of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson and their circle of friends, supporters, enemies, and family.

Tom Clavin writes a very readable biography/town history in thirty-two chapters that lay out the lives of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson along with the story of Dodge City. Clavin focuses his attention on the parts played by Wyatt and Bat, but does not neglect the many other lawmen, desperadoes, gamblers, buffalo hunters, soldiers, and cowboys who lived in or visited Dodge City. providing short biographies of many of them. If you are interested in the Old West, gun fights, or notorious outlaws and lawmen, then Dodge City will entertain and enlighten you.

I really enjoyed this book. I love this time in history. Being from Dodge City, Kansas it was great to read about Wyatt Earp and his posse again.

This is a book about the old west and how Dodge City become not only a cow town, but also into a city. The people are just part of the story. Yes Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and many other famous cowboys and non-cowboys either’d lived or passed through the town. The actors and other odd characters are what add to this wester tail. The stories of Wyatt, and his brothers really give a different look to his life and that of his brothers. From operating a freight out of San Bernardino, California, to Prescott Arizona, to the family living in Colton for a while. All of which I did not know. Some of the gun fights in Dodge City really happened by Bat who by this author killed more men than Wyatt, but also his brother Ed was killed as well. Through it all you get a look at a different side of the west. Of men not wanting to stay put in one town and how Wyatt ending up Tombstone to help and be with his brother Virgil and two other brothers. This all before the O.K. Corral afterwards and a few travels he ends up back in Dodge City along with Bat and some other gunslingers. Men that people of the town new were there to take back the town from a group who were getting rid of the old or who they believed should be gone. I don’t have to tell you how it turned out with not a shot fired. Later Wyatt would go back to California, and Bat would end up in New York first as a deputy U.S. Marshall then later and the most surprising part of the whole book a sports writer, and according to some of the ones who were at the top of their game Damon Runyon he was a real good one. Runyon also wrote Guys and Dolls and dedicated a character in the story after Masterson whom he became friends with. Overall this is a very good book with a lot of information. The author did his research and clarifies as much as possible from past mistakes from previous books who have tried to write about this time and people.

I choose this book because I was born in Dodge City in 1945. I grew up with many of the stories in this book and my Dad watched Gunsmoke regularly.
This book has been researched and it is fun to see what lore was true and what was myth. Thanks to the author Tom Clavin for exploring this time period and the area of Dodge City.
While I found I would have like more of the information about each character developed in one place, the story is well told. The historical characters each bring insights into this time period. Recommended.

**This review will post to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on March 11th. It has already been posted to Goodreads, Amazon, etc. I will add a link to the blog post once it goes live on the 11th.**

I grew up in rural Kansas, so the history of the midwest, especially the Old West era in Kansas, is near and dear to me. My husband is a huge fan of the fictionalized television show about Dodge City, Gunsmoke. I was so excited when I learned this book was coming out! I knew immediately my husband would love it. Reading about Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and other real characters and events in Dodge City will make him so happy! His book is on order....I can't wait for it to arrive!

Tom Clavin starts out by giving information about southwest Kansas before white settlers arrived. It was filled with Indian tribes fighting for territory, millions of buffalo, and wide open grassland. He talks about the conquistadors who came through exploring in the 1500s and Lewis & Clark in the early 1800s and those who followed after. Then Clavin moves into the era of westward movement, cattle drives, railroads and lawlessness in the prairie.

This book is just crammed full of well-researched information. At times, it seemed a bit disorganized but the history was interesting, even if not always related in linear fashion. Technically, the book really isn't just about Dodge City but relates stories about people, events and the history of the region.

I had to read this book a little bit at a time. When my brain went into fact-overload, I would take a break and come back later for more. Clavin gives factual insights into what Dodge City and the Old West was really like, and how the exaggerated stories in books and movies came about.

A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys history! Just keep in mind that this book is a non-fiction history, not a fictionalized story. Don't expect simple entertainment, but a journey through the real history of the region, the era and some of the famous people who battled to tame the west.

Tom Clavin is the author of 11 non-fiction books on famous people including Roger Maris and the DiMaggio brothers.

**I voluntarily read an Advance Readers copy of this book from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

I recevied a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and St. Martins Press, the publisher. It was in exchange for a review posted on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my history review blog. I also posted it on my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have an interest in the history of the American West and have never read anything about Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson or Dodge City. It is the first book by Tom Clavin that I have read.

The book is well researched, but unfortunately the title is misleading. It is a collection of alternating chapters about Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson with some revolving around Dodge City and some not. The individual chapters themselves are good and read like short stories. It is also disjointed in that the time frames are not in chronological order making it difficult to follow at times.. An example is the author mentions something and then states that it will be covered in more detail later in the book.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to the serious student of history, but to those who are looking for a read on the subject that the bouncing around does not disturb.

If there is a "star" of this book, it is not Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson, but Dodge City itself. While Dodge deserves top billing, this is not so much a book about the history of the city as it is a collection of tales that are threaded loosely around famous (or perhaps infamous) people associated with Dodge City. The stories are not exclusive to one location, if there is a story to tell of a once-inhabitant, it is threaded into the pages of this book if it happens in Dodge, Tombstone, or anywhere else in the country. I found the stories enjoyable, even if the book may not be as aptly named as I expected. The book is organized into four parts, although I use the word "organized" loosely. The sections seem near the verge of being tangential before the next Act begins. For this type of storytelling, I think it works and keeps things more interesting than having a single story arc between the covers. Especially when the subject matter themselves are restless men who served in many different professions, in many different places, with many different lovers over the course of their lives.

The book made these larger-than-life legends very relatable and human in a way that I've never experienced before. Usually when I read about Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson I can still imagine them only as their sepia-toned, one dimensional photographs represent. This book really brought them to life in a realistic way that is much more endearing than looking at old pictures, or watching costumed actors portray them in TV and movies. <i>Dodge City<i/> shows a more human side of these legends of the western frontier.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this much-anticipated arc for review.

The most noticeable aspect of this book is the meticulous research the author put into it. From reading this book, it appears that the author completed very thorough research on the subjects and possesses a genuine affinity for the subjects. I wanted to give this book five stars for the amount of work the author put into crafting his narrative, but I could not.

The pace of the book is slow, even by history book standards. The chapters and themes tend to be a bit sporadic and the title misleads the reader into thinking the book is only about Earp and Masterson in Dodge City, which it is not. For readers obsessed with the wild west, Earp, or Masterson, this book is a no doubt must read, but more casual readers might struggle to stay interested for the duration of the book.

Intense resurrection of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and their associates during the taming of the 1870s American plains. Tom Clavin differentiates between fact and folklore, defining that blurry line between what can be proven and what people want to believe of this strong and crafty gunmen of the West.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

Very interesting, if a bit rambling at times. The title is somewhat misleading; this book is more a collection of stories about the western frontier than a history of a single town. Earp and Masterson are the most prominent characters, but author Tom Clavin throws in stories about dozens of other heroes and villains of the old west as well. In rambling narrative form, Clavin writes about everything from the history of the buffalo herds to the establishment of the railroad lines to the shootout at the OK Corral.

While a bit deficient in structure, Dodge City is both thoroughly researched and fun to read. I hadn't read much about this period in American history, so I learned a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the western frontier and the men who lived its tall tales.

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are entirely my own.

Author Tom Clavin provides a smoothly written history book that reads like a novel. I enjoyed how events were tied together and popular stories were placed into context. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.