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Book Description
Not since the first signs of gold have so many people flocked to Deadwood, but now they are filming the acclaimed TV series of the same name. With a cast of historically rich characters The Real Deadwood explores the lives of "Wild Bill" Hickok, Al Swearengen, Calamity Jane, Sol Star and a host of others. Looking at a world of primitive medicine, prostitution and lawlessness, The Real Deadwood separates fact from fiction, but exhilarates all the way.
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First Sentence
"It was not part of America," Deadwood series creator David Milch says about the infamous goldstrike camp that became a literally illegal town. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"It was not part of America," Deadwood series creator David Milch says about the infamous goldstrike camp that became a literally illegal town. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book slightly disappointing. If you're a fan of the series, you'll get something out of it, simply because you'll learn a little more about the likes of Bullock and Jane, but the author's efforts are competent rather than inspired. It can be read in a couple of hours because it's very short. The layout of the text reminded me of a poor school essay, when a desperate pupil would employ large gaps between each word in an attempt to fool the teacher concerning the size of the content.
31 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read a lot of books on the history of the wild west (and old west), I was attracted to this book because its subtext sounded interesting.
I wasnt aware there was a tv drama series called Deadwood, and since the book instantly starts making references to it, I was initially very confused. The author doesnt give any introduction to the tv series, he just assumes you know about it (which I didnt) and also assumes youre interested in it (which I wasnt).
The references to the tv series continue consistently throughout the book, making constant references to the actors and how they might compare to the original people. I really didnt care if Ian McShane has a british accent but his historical counterpart, Al Swearengen, didnt.
After a while this really starts to grate, and does little but to dilute the already thinly spread factual content in the book.
The book has 162 pages, but the lines are quite literally, 1cm apart. To look at, it reminded me a bit of an Enid Blyton novel.
Its not ALL bad though. There are some nice photos scattered around the book. I liked the ones of the old street scenes, or people standing outside a saloon. Theres also quite a few photos of the people being discussed, which are also nice but quite widely available.
The author discusses the various characters such as Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickock, and touches briefly on a few other people. the book didnt really provide me with any interesting new facts about these people, that I hadnt picked up from other books Ive read. There is however an interesting 5 or 6 pages on medicine of the era, including some nice anecdotes about the patent medicine concoctions which were so prevalent at the time.
Incase you hadnt guessed by now: I was, on the whole, very disappointed by this book. It seems half-heartedly researched and strikes me as an attempt to just cash in on the (presumed) popularity of the tv series.
To Summarise:
If you like the series, and havent had any real background reading of historical frontier times, I imagine you might like this book.
If instead, you're more interested in the historical facts, events, and peoples way of life around that time, then I'd really recommend you look elsewhere.
I wasnt aware there was a tv drama series called Deadwood, and since the book instantly starts making references to it, I was initially very confused. The author doesnt give any introduction to the tv series, he just assumes you know about it (which I didnt) and also assumes youre interested in it (which I wasnt).
The references to the tv series continue consistently throughout the book, making constant references to the actors and how they might compare to the original people. I really didnt care if Ian McShane has a british accent but his historical counterpart, Al Swearengen, didnt.
After a while this really starts to grate, and does little but to dilute the already thinly spread factual content in the book.
The book has 162 pages, but the lines are quite literally, 1cm apart. To look at, it reminded me a bit of an Enid Blyton novel.
Its not ALL bad though. There are some nice photos scattered around the book. I liked the ones of the old street scenes, or people standing outside a saloon. Theres also quite a few photos of the people being discussed, which are also nice but quite widely available.
The author discusses the various characters such as Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickock, and touches briefly on a few other people. the book didnt really provide me with any interesting new facts about these people, that I hadnt picked up from other books Ive read. There is however an interesting 5 or 6 pages on medicine of the era, including some nice anecdotes about the patent medicine concoctions which were so prevalent at the time.
Incase you hadnt guessed by now: I was, on the whole, very disappointed by this book. It seems half-heartedly researched and strikes me as an attempt to just cash in on the (presumed) popularity of the tv series.
To Summarise:
If you like the series, and havent had any real background reading of historical frontier times, I imagine you might like this book.
If instead, you're more interested in the historical facts, events, and peoples way of life around that time, then I'd really recommend you look elsewhere.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was really looking forward to reading this book and have to say it was quite good. However the cons outweigh the pro's, the large print squashed in the middle of the page doesn't make it a very long read, if it would have been printed in normal size font it would be 50 pages maximum. It also didn't go in to very much detail and nothing of a timeline of events, its just really a selection of paragraphs, each containing a little information about something/someone then it goes on to the next.
This book would be good in schools as a simple reference guide.
I think I was looking for something a little more informative.
This book would be good in schools as a simple reference guide.
I think I was looking for something a little more informative.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dead Wood
The ironic thing about this book is that it almost refers more to the TV series than "real" Deadwood. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Martyn Beardsley
for TV fans of the series
I read this after watching all 3 series of the Deadwood TV programme. The book would make more sense after watchingthe TV series and I found it a good companion. Read more
Published on 12 April 2009 by Ian D. Barrass-sykes
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