I have finally gotten one of the books that I was interested in, Lucky Billy. It is very interestingly written and it’s not like other historical books that I have read before. I have only read the first chapter, but you can immediately tell the difference after reading the first sentence. I feel like Lucky Billy reads more as a narrative. It reads very simple like a children’s book, but it obviously not meant for kids because it does contain profanity and some graphic content during the death scenes. It is also very hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction in Lucky Billy mainly because it reads as a story. I do think, however, that it would be beneficial to keep reading it because it shows a good example of how Billy the Kid has grown into a legend over the years. I also plan on reading other books so I can get a better idea of what is fact and what is fiction.
There is also another book that I have found in the library that I haven’t checked out yet, but I plan on doing it soon. It is titled Billy the Kid:The Endless Ride. According to one book review, http://route66news.com/2007/03/25/book-review-billy-the-kid-the-endless-ride/, this book should do a better job of seperating the fact from the fiction.
There is also another interesting book that I have found in the library by the name Billy the Kid: The Best Writings on the Infamous Outlaw. This book is a collage of all things Billy. It has everything from the biographies of Billy, plays, newspaper articles, songs, movies, poems, and short stories. I think this will also give a good idea of what is actually fact about Billy and what has been made up about him throughout the years. I’m also hoping that I will be able to get more information about Billy off of the internet.
Back to the book Lucky Billy, so far it has been talking about the escape of Billy from prison on April 28, 1881. Althouth this part is mainly dialogue and narrative, I have noticed some of the facts that I have been able to find on other pages. Some of these facts are about how secure Billy was kept, playing poker with the guards, and Billy’s escape. There is a lot of dialogue between Billy and the guards that I haven’t heard of before. The description of the death scene is very gruesome and I don’t think I have came across any other source that has described the scene. Billy also seems a little bit off balanced because his train of thought quickly switches and he’s not really sure if he is talking to himself or talking to the crowd of people who had gathered around the prison.
Thanks for reporting on your finds, Charli. The Wallis book sounds like it could be quite useful!
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before in comments to you and Eric (or maybe it was Ricky), but you might also want to check out some of the films that have been made about Billy the Kid. There is also a book called Gunfighter Nation, by Richard Slotkin, that talks about “formula” Westerns made by Hollywood in the golden years of the Western, and mentions the 1930 Billy the Kid film specifically. Thinking about how Billy has been portrayed on screen might be useful for your project.