An Extremely Captivating Read
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"Clive Sinclair's True Tales of the Wild West" captivated me to such an extent that my fingers refused to perform any activity other than turning the pages until having reached the end of the book. Despite having no particular previous knowledge of or interest in the Wild West, this book soon got me under its spell. Sinclair's ingenious narrative technique and unique blending of fact and fiction (what he calls "dodgy realism") underline the difficulty of separating the myths and legends from the historical facts of the Wild West. This book is a superb and witty take on the myths which inform the ideas and conceptions of the American West. The two protagonists, Peppercorn and Saltzman, two Jewish cousins from North London, the former a photojournalist doing a piece on a buffalo round-up and on a quest to find "his inner cowboy", the latter a Professor from the USA (University of St Albans) and member of the SAS (the School of American Studies) setting out on a project of "deconstructing Deadwood", provide the two strands on which a variety of famous figures, places and films of the Wild West are threaded. If this book is already such a captivating read for someone without any knowledge of the Wild West, how much more so must it be for avid fans of Western films, for instance, of which the book provides such detailed descriptions. The attractive cover and many photos and illustrations are further sure to guarantee the book a place of honour in anyone's book shelves.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada