Billy King's Tombstone. By C. L. Sonnichsen.

Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1942. Pp. 233. Illus-
trations. $3.00.

"The Private Life of an Arizona Boom Town" is the explana-
tory subtitle of this addition to the Americana dealing with
the lusty days of the West, and the author has had the rare
sense to live up to the limitations of the title. Perhaps the
most appealing feature of the book is the matter-of-fact sin-
cerity with which men and episodes are treated, with no at-
tempt either to glamorize or to debunk. Spicy, humorous, and
sordid incidents are taken in stride in a style admirably fash-
ioned to keep the subject ever in the foreground, without call-
ing undue attention to the writer.

Thus it is that a colorful, interesting, and singularly dis-
passionate impression is conveyed of Tombstone the town, and
of the principal characters contributing to its reputation. Gam-
blers, prospectors, lawmen, and prostitutes move through the
pages unadorned with authorial embellishment for the most
part; and the result is that Tombstone emerges just about as
it must have appeared to its leading inhabitants--a tough town
beyond a doubt, but a town in which a man could live pretty
much his own style of life, good, bad, or indifferent. Interior
pictures of notorious establishments and a generous number
of authentic portraits of outstanding characters add greatly
to the convincingness of the narrative.

College of Mines.

Robert Avrett.

How to cite:
"Billy King's Tombstone", Volume 46, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v046/n2/review_DIVL2618.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 10:35:02 CST 2009]