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Heroes Without Glory: Some Good Men of the Old West
Heroes Without Glory Some Good Men of the Old West Author:Jack Schaefer Jack Shaefer, an Easterner who found himself and his life's work in the West, has written a book that is rousing history in its own right and will also give the lie to the pernicious cult of the old-time Western badmen, "adorned with big hats and an assortment of Colt and Winchester period hardware" playing out their unpleasant roles against a b... more »ackdrop of the great open spaces.
Mr. Shaefer rescues ten lesser-known figures from the obscure corners of the historical record; and a more savory, diverse and individualistic crew it would be hard to find. There is, for example, Grizzly Adams, a shoemaker who forsook New England for the Rockies and generally preferred the company of bears to human beings; Snowshoe Thompson, who regularly skied some forty miles of the Sierras carrying the mail; Valentine Trant O'Connell McGillyCuddy, whose personality was as quirky as his name but who was one of the best Indian agents the US Government ever had.
There are two lawmen in the lot, but they hardly live up to the usual image: Elfego Baca, a chubby and merry Spanish American who happened to have more than enough cool courage to match his amiable wit, and Tom Smith, marshal of Abilene, who used his fists instead of his guns.
Jack Shaefer?s fine reputation as novelist and short story writer is based as much on his gift for characterization as on the warmth of his writing. In Heroes without Glory he has found the perfect subject.« less