Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0471077801, Paperback)

"An excellent book based on exhaustive research and written with fresh insight. It is a spellbinding accomplishment and brings both the man and his era to life. . . . It is an extraordinary achievement."
-Arizona Daily Star

"Carter presents this astounding tale in a very balanced fashion, providing both the nineteenth-century rationale and his repug-nance at acts today considered shocking. . . . Through Carter's writing, the heroic and ultimately sad life of a remarkable human being makes a deep impact."
-Richmond Times Dispatch

"A comprehensive, sharply rendered life of showman William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody pries realities away from legend. . . . A splendid portrait of Cody's life and times, at once poignant, boisterous, and disturbing."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"There's a large audience for American, and particularly Western, history, and those readers will not want to miss this genial account."
-Publishers Weekly

"This is the remarkable story of an amazing life. Cody not only lived the adventure of the frontier, he helped create the American West of the imagination. A fascinating story and a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the Western myth."
-Casey Tefertiller
author, Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0471319961, Hardcover)

"This is the remarkable story of an amazing life. Cody not only lived the adventure of the frontier, he helped create the American West of the imagination. A fascinating story and a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the Western myth." –Casey Tefertiller, Author, Wyatt Earp:The Life Behind the Legend

Who was the real Buffalo Bill?

This engrossing biography brings to thrilling life the frontier hero who is responsible for creating the lasting legend of the Wild West. Author Robert Carter takes us back to the Great Plains, where William "Buffalo Bill" Cody emerges in his many incarnations:as a buffalo hunter, a Civil War cavalry scout, an Indian fighter, a Pony Express rider, until, finally, he conceives of the show that made him famous throughout the world–the Wild West Exhibitions.

In Buffalo Bill Cody, the first full biography in over thirty years, we are given an intimate glimpse into the exhilarating life of this one-of-a-kind frontiersman and enormously popular showman, from his famous exploits to the lesser-known dramas surrounding his life. We gain fresh insights about many of the mysteries of Buffalo Bill’s life, including whether he indeed killed Yellow Hand–the "first scalp for Custer." Elegantly written, Buffalo Bill Cody is a spellbinding achievement that not only reveals the truth behind this legendary subject, but also explores the myths of the Wild West that he created, which live on to this day.