Heroes Without Glory: Some Good Men of the Old West

By Jack Schaefer

Book Overview

This collection of essays features twelve heroes from the American West. Schaefer profiles pioneers of the West--the doctors, explorers, and cowboys who settled the challenging landscape and built communities in the Old West. These unsung champions highlight the unglorified work of the West that was achieved without violence and gunslinging. Schaefer shares the lives of Grizzly Adams, George A. Ruston, John Snowshoe Thompson, John Phillips, Washakie, John S. Chisum, Thomas J. Smith, Valentine T. McGillycuddy, Charles Fox Gardiner, and Elfego Baca. Western enthusiasts and history buffs will welcome the refreshing biographies of the men found in this volume.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826357660
• ISBN13: 9780826357663
• Release Date: October 2016
• Publisher: Unm Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

What History is Really About

Really I rate this about 4.5 Stars, but my friends say I'm a tough critic. What many people fail to realize about History is that it's about people, not so much dates and events. This book brilliantly brings to life people who made a huge difference in the lives of the settlers and cowboys around them, good men who helped build the west. Some were bookish, some not at all, but all were brave, tough people of conviction who did right by their own code of ethics. It's about pioneers of all sorts, and explores the full range of the west with a loving, unvarnished look at lives often full of rough and tumble, but also of dignity and strength. In the midst of this discussion, Schaeffer merrily unloads on the scoundrels and losers that unfortunately were glorified by the media of those times, happily exposing their lack of influence and relevance. The Good Men of the old west are much more interesting than the Bad Men of the old west, and I'd love to find more of this kind of work.