The Best Books on Wyatt Earp

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6 books

As a young boy, I was fascinated with the concept of courage. At seven, I read the pseudo-biography of Wyatt Earp, a wonderfully written account of a courageous man. This book began my lifelong interest in Mr. Earp. Eventually, I met many of the giants in Western history research and accompanied them into the field. Most of the books listed here are non-fiction by these top historians. After 65 years of collecting the facts, I wanted to use my novelistic skills to portray the life and times of Wyatt Earp as best as the record shows, therefore I have included on this list my historical novel trilogy, "Wyatt Earp, an American Odyssey."

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See the source list and commentary at shepherd.com

A Wyatt Earp Anthology

Long May His Story Be Told

Roy B. Young, Gary L. Roberts, Casey Tefertiller, 2019

Within these pages lie the latest gems of research that expands our knowledge of Wyatt Earp’s life events and character. Each of these contributions by a variety of authors is considered a revelation in the field of Earpiana. Readers cannot know the whole story of Earp without these long-lost chapters of Western history.

Wyatt Earp

The Life Behind the Legend

Casey Tefertiller, 1997

The public was introduced to Wyatt Earp’s story by Walter Noble Burns and Stuart Lake around 1930, but the novelistic liberties taken by these two writers produced two books of fantasy. Other writers who reacted to this fiction swung to the other end of the spectrum and wrote damning indictments against Wyatt Earp. Tefertiller gives us the facts and leaves it to the reader to parse Wyatt Earp, the man. I have visited many Sonoran Desert sites with Mr. Tefertiller, places where events in the Earp saga took place. There, we engaged in conversations and batted around ideas. I judge him to be a most reliable and dedicated researcher/writer.

Ride the Devil's Herd

Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang

John Boessenecker, 2020

Boessenecker has achieved a fine reputation for honesty and thoroughness in his research. He has also learned how to structure his books to carry a reader forward like a novel. His book puts into scope how major an event it was for Wyatt Earp to go up against the organized crime gang (known as the “cow-boys”) that had corrupted Southern Arizona. Many of these outlaws had drifted west from New Mexico after taking part in the bloodbath called the Lincoln County War. Ride the Devil’s Herd is more than a history book. It’s a great ride in itself.

Doc Holliday

The Life and Legend

Gary L. Roberts, 2011

I know Gary Roberts personally, and I have always considered him to be “the voice of reason” in debates concerning Western American history. He is, in my opinion, one of the top three most authoritative researchers in the field of Wyatt Earp. Others who know him treat his conclusions as the final word on a topic. His scholarly work is beautifully written for all levels of readers, from beginner to aficionado to expert. His book on Doc Holliday can be thought of as the companion reader to Mr. Tefertiller’s book.

Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Posse Rider

The Story of "Texas Jack" Vermillion

Peter Brand, 2012

Researchers/writers today make great use of the Internet, but perhaps no one does it better than Peter Brand. Living in Australia, he can make only infrequent trips to America, yet he seems to be able to mine records on the Internet to find the nuggets that others have missed. His revelations about the loyal men who attached to Wyatt Earp in his quest to avenge his assassinated brother, Morgan, have expanded our knowledge of the Earp story to a tremendous degree. Brand is also a personal friend of mine. Each new publication of his throws new light on the shadowy episodes that Earp aficionados want to understand better. It is quite an accomplishment for Peter to gain the status he has achieved among historians. Who would believe that an Aussie could become one of the vanguards of Western research?

Wyatt Earp Novel, Book 1

Mark Warren, 2021

Book one of "Wyatt Earp, An American Odyssey" Wyatt Earp is arguably the most famous lawman of the Old West, but most writers have missed the key aspects of his personality. He was neither stubborn nor courageous. Something else drove him to survive a remarkable array of life and death confrontations. This book reveals the genesis of his no-nonsense attitude that instilled fear, respect, envy, or loathing in others. Farmer, stage driver, freight hauler, railroad laborer, boxer, town constable, brothel bouncer, buffalo hunter, and city marshal—these were the hats he wore in his formative years. Earp never earned the successes he craved, but his friends were loyal in the extreme. Book two, "Born to the Badge," covers the Kansas years. Book three, "A Law Unto Himself," follows Earp’s violent troubles in the Arizona Territory.