The Last Outlaws
The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
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4.0 • 21 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The Old West was coming to an end. Two legendary outlaws refused to go with it.
As leaders of the Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid executed the most daring bank and train robberies of their day. For several years at the end of the 1890s, the two friends, along with a revolving band of thieves, eluded law enforcement while stealing from the rich bankers and Eastern railroad corporations who exploited Western land…until they rode headlong into the twentieth century.
In The Last Outlaws, Thom Hatch brings these memorable characters to life like never before. From their early holdup attempts to that fateful day in Bolivia, Hatch draws on a wealth of fresh research to go beyond the myth and provide a compelling new look at these legends of the Wild West.
Includes Photographs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
While not the first or likely the last book to chronicle the colorful lives of outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hatch (Black Kettle) has potentially written the most authoritative. Drawing from an impressive number of sources, Hatch's multidimensional study of two of the Wild West's most famous criminals and their compatriots strives for accuracy without sacrificing entertainment value. He covers the duo's evolution from ranch hands to robbers with a reporter's eye and a novelist's sense of drama, recounting colorful anecdotes without letting the story get the best of him; each robbery, tryst, and outlaw with whom Butch and Sundance crossed paths is noted here, often with footnotes. Some escapades, like the story behind the infamous photo of the Wild Bunch, a boneheaded error that forced the group to abandon their criminal ways due to their newfound notoriety, have been told before, but Hatch's enthusiasm for the material and empathy for his subjects makes them seem new. Photos, maps, and a litany of sources that offer supplemental reading material should give armchair sheriffs plenty of material to work with in this immersive and entertaining study.
Customer Reviews
Last Outlaw
Mr. Hatch does a wonderful job of including the historical threads we sometimes forget that are also occurring during the time period he is writing about. He highlights the forces (geographical, political, economic, etc.) that shape why the events and human reaction become history. His comprehensive look at the time period is second only to the specific facts he cites and documents. This book is entertaining, factual and informative.
I look forward to reading more history by Mr. Hatch.