Book
Deadwood : gold, guns, and greed in the American West / Peter Cozzens.
"Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West is the first book dedicated the story of early Deadwood. It also probes timeless subjects such as race and sex, crime and punishment, religion and recreation, and everyday life in a manner that will immerse readers in the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the frontier West"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593537855 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xix, 404 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2025.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Frontier and pioneer life > South Dakota > Deadwood. Deadwood (S.D.) > History > 19th century. |
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 978.39101 Coz | 31681010432862 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Tells the true story of a notorious Black Hills gold rush settlement of its most colorful cast of characters, from Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane to Al Swearingen and Sheriff Seth Bullock. Illustrations. Maps. - Baker & Taylor
"Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West is the first book dedicated the story of early Deadwood. It also probes timeless subjects such as race and sex, crime and punishment, religion and recreation, and everyday life in a manner that will immerse readers in the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the frontier West"-- Provided by publisher. - Random House, Inc.
The true story of the Black Hills gold rush settlement once described as âthe most diabolical town on earthâ and of its most colorful cast of characters, from Wild Bill Hickok to Calamity Jane to Al Swearingen and Sheriff Seth Bullock.
"In these pungent pages, you can smell the whiskey, the gunsmoke, the horse lather, the gold dust, and the mining chemicals . . . A fine non-fiction narrative that's as alluring as its subject.â âHampton Sides
"If you thought HBOâs television series of the same name was hyperbolic, buckle in . . . The TV characters were all real and theyâre all here . . . Milchâs Deadwood is Shakespearean; Cozzensâs is all verifiable fact, yet it loses nothing in the straighter telling . . . [A] fast-paced and unbelievable-if-it-weren't-true story." --Carl Hoffman, The Washington Post
Sifting through layers and layers of myth and legendâfrom nineteenth-century dime novels like Deadwood Dick, to HBO prestige dramas to the casino billboards outside of present-day DeadwoodâPeter Cozzens unveils the true face of Deadwood, South Dakota, the storied mining town that sprang up in early 1876 and came raining down in ashes only three years later, destined to become food for the imagination and a nostalgic landmark that now brings in more than two and a half million visitors each year.
That Western romance, weâre reminded by Cozzensâthe prizewinning author of The Earth Is Weepingâretains its allure only as long as we willfully ignore the townâs foundational sins. Built on land brazenly stolen from the Lakotas, Deadwood was not merely a place where outlaws lurked, like Tombstone or Dodge City, but was itself an outlaw enterprise, not part of any U.S. territory or subject to U.S. laws or governance. This gave rise to the gunslinging, stagecoach robbing, whiskey guzzling, rampant prostitution, and gambling Deadwood is known for. But it also bred a self-reliance and a spirit of cooperation unique on the frontier, and made it an exceptionally welcoming place for Black Americans and Chinese immigrants at a time of deep-seated discrimination.
The first book to tell this complex story in full, Deadwood reveals how one frontier town came to embody the best and worst of the Westâa relic of humanityâs eternal quest to create order from chaos, a greater good from individual greed, and security from violence.
