The description of this book seemed to assume that the reader had heard of Seth Bullock, which I never had. As far as history books go, this one wasn't too bad. He was an interesting guy, and the book was well written, but I still found it a little boring.

This is history of Seth Bullock. The book is well written, though clearly intended to inform it maintains a engaging tone. Though not the best history book I've ever read it is well written and well cited. ( )

Seth Bullock was very much a public figure, as the sections of this biography indicate: "Pioneer Lawman and Politician, 1847 - 1879", "Promoter, Speculator and Developer, 1879 - 1895", and Public Servant, 1895 - 1919." The book begins with the story of Bullock's journey to the gold fields of the Black Hills in 1876, less than two weeks after Colonel George Custer's command was wiped out at Little Big Horn. After this promising start, the author jumps back and forth in time in a confusing manner for the rest of chapter one. The remainder of the book proceeds chronologically, only jumping from facet to facet of Bullock's life. Plenty of interesting events are related: stage holdups, disputed elections, floods and fires that nearly destroyed the town of Deadwood that Bullock helped to found, but the style is quite academic. I found it hard to read more than a little at a time. One of the most interesting parts of the story is Bullock's friendship with Theodore Roosevelt. I wish this biography had included more information about his family and home life, but it does a thorough job of covering the public aspects of Seth Bullock's life.

LibraryThing Early Reviewer Book.

This book was an excellent source of research material. The writing was concise, though font was a little small. The picture on the front was appropriate. Seth Bullock was not meant for the reader that likes the subject to be romanticized. Students and historians will appreciate the nuances of this work. Wether due to lack of research materials available or writer preference, there isn't too much about Mr. Bullock's personal life. You see once again how history can be twisted because of media, (newspapers). Oral stories abound and are changed; Mr. Wolff mentioned this a few times in his work. If you like history or are doing a research project it is well worth the read, but if you like your history a little vanilla it is not for the faint of heart. ( )

A fascinating book about a minor character of American history. I suppose that he is of interest to most people because there is a character based on him in Deadwood, a television series of a few years ago; i dare say that is even the stimulous behind Wolff's writing of the book ~ that, and correcting the errors of the series' portrayal... Read the full review at http://rhydypennau.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )