West: The Making of the American West

This exhilarating account of the American West is at once a complete anecdotal history & a compendium of western lore. It shows what life on the frontier was really like. Lewis vividly depicts the pioneers, the onrush of the cattle barons, the coming of the lawmen & the tragic demise of the Plains Indians. Heroes & villains -- including Sitting Bull, Doc Holliday, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Crazy Horse & Custer -- are often revealed in a startling new light, & a host of minor characters are rescued from obscurity. Pays full homage to the part played by women & African-Americans, & includes a mass of intriguing & fascinating detail.