Books in Legends of the West series

William "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a "boy extra," a bullwhacker, cattle driver, hunter, and an American Indian fighter on the Great Plains of the 1850s, all before becoming a teenager. He claimed to have killed nearly 5,000 buffalo to supply construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. In time, trading on his fame as Buffalo Bill and as a Pony Express rider, the then-Army scout transformed himself into a showman extraordinaire with the establishment of his Wild West arena extravaganza. The Wild West—part circus, part rodeo, part history—toured for three decades, playing to enthusiastic crowds across the United States and Europe. For a time, Buffalo Bill Cody was possibly the most famous man in the world. Though Cody made huge sums with the Wild West show, he died a poor man in 1917. With this new biography, readers can explore Buffalo Bill Cody's life, his legacy, and his personification of the myth of the American West.

Martha Canary—better known as Calamity Jane—is one of the more intriguing figures to emerge from the already colorful history of the Old West. Her rough-and-ready nature lent itself well to her environment: She drank hard and smoked cigars, took nonsense from no one, loved to brag about her adventures, and was not afraid to wear men's clothing if it made it easier to drive a mule train or ride a horse. While precious little evidence exists to prove some of her more outlandish claims, Calamity Jane has nonetheless remained an enduring legend of the Wild West. This new biography delves into what is known about Calamity Jane and her legacy as part of the Old West landscape.