Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #334596 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Was it murder or self-defense when the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday confronted the Clanton and McLaury brothers on the streets of Tombstone, Ariz.? Each side has had its partisans, and the subject is still debated by historians. Marks delivers an exhaustive account of this episode in frontier history, reviewing the political, economic and social conditions of the region, noting that other frontier communities struggled with the same issues. A succession of characters--cattle rustlers, tinhorn gamblers, law officers of questionable integrity--are introduced with biographical sketches. There is a detailed reconstruction of the gunfight, with conflicting evidence from witnesses, and a full report of the coroner's investigation and subsequent trial with Marks, a professor at St. Edward's in Austin, Tex., inclined to accept the verdict, giving the Earps the benefit of the doubt. She also recounts the bloody aftermath and follows the major characters to the ends of their lives. Diehard Western buffs will enjoy this definitive account of the affair; others may be overwhelmed by minutiae. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Marks observes that " . . . gunfights in the West were usually confused, even bumbling affairs made even more confusing when more than two people were involved." She clearly demonstrates this in the case of the O.K. Corral gunfight. After establishing the participants' backgrounds and alliances, she sorts through the mass of conflicting, confused, and self-serving testimony to determine the most likely course of events on that fateful late October afternoon in 1881. There are no heroes or villains here, only a careful analysis of why the gunfight happened. Though the real truth will never be known, Marks's reconstruction renders previous accounts obsolete. Because of the enduring popularity of the Old West, this belongs in most libraries.
- Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Wyatt Earp, Tombstone, and The OK Corral Defined!
Ms. Marks has written a book that fills some existing gaps in the Tombstone/Earp saga. The book makes several strong points about Earp's lawman career in Dodge City pointing out that Earp was a dependable and able deputy but performed no feats that would be rememorable in later years. However, he must have made some impression on the future mayor and marshall of Dodge City since one chose to leave the town and the other hid when Earp returned after Tombstone to ensure that a friend was not run out of business by the mayor.

Wyatt Earp became the most famous western lawman for three reasons: The first was the OK Corral. Despite what many people believe, gunfights in the West were extremely rare, almost nonexistant, which is the reason that the OK Corral became a nationwide story in the major newspapers of the country.

The second reason is the character of Wyatt Earp, which has been dissected by historians and writers for most of the 20th century and his character and actions have withstood their microscopes without a blemish.

Throughout the narrative of the book, Earp is never found wanting unlike the other major players in the drama called Tombstone. He was not a cattle rustler such as the Clantons, McLaury's, Brocius and Ringo; he did not rob stages and he did not attack his enemies from behind and/or in the night. Those statements cannot be made by any man that he opposed in the "feud".

The author points out that Earp was a lawman of "his times", meaning he enforced the law with controlled violence, ie hitting his potential prisoner with his gun, to avoid bloodshed. He should be commended for perfecting this method since he is known to have killed only one man before the OK Corral.

I do not agree with several reviewers who believe the OK Corral was the result of blunders or politics. The fight was the direct result of the Earp brothers standing up against outlaws that had become used to lawman looking the other way while they shipped rustled cattle out of Tombstone. The Clantons and McLaury's were too stupid to realize that Wyatt Earp and his brothers were not going to be defeated in an open gunfight with them. I always found it interesting that Brocius and Ringo, the two outlaws that were considered dangerous gunmen, did not confront the Earps at the OK Corral. The only documented confrontation between Johnny Ringo and Wyatt Earp or Doc Holiday,(it depends on who is telling the story) occurs when Ringo is drunk and Earp refuses to take advantage of the situation.

Brocius and Ringo preferred to attack from ambush at night, which resulted in the wounding of Virgil Earp and the murder of Morgan Earp. The death of Morgan Earp set the stage for the final reason for Earp's enduring reputation. Until Morgan's murder, Wyatt Earp had acted within the boundary of the law regardless of what crimes the Cowboys committed. Earp realized that the Brocius and Ringo would escape punishment for Morgan's murder and he decided that was not going to happen. His "vendetta ride" is recognized by most Americans as a necessary action against career criminals that used the legal system to avoid punishment.

The book provides both detailed information about the "vendetta ride" and the geographical setting of the Tombstone area that other books about Earp do not have. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Wyatt Earp along with two other books "Inventing Wyatt Earp" and "Wyatt Earp". These three books totally define Wyatt Earp and his place in American History.

An excellent, balanced look at the events
If you could read only one book about the OK Corral gunfight, this should be it. There is no attempt to make either group right or wrong; too often these days, one or the other group is portrayed as a set of complete bad guys, when "complete" is much too strong a word. There are a few other books that should be considered, Chaput's "Virgil Earp: Western Peace Officer", Tanner and DeArment's "Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait", and Bob Boze Bell's books on Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. All reach pretty much the same conclusions although there are some variations in viewpoint that will make the reader think (for example, Tanner's view on just who was the target at the Boarding House is intriguing). Anyway, Dr. Marks' book is well-written, with a style that is easy to follow and appreciate. It is my hope that she finds other western subjects to write about so that we may enjoy more of the fruits of her research and writing ability.

Thank you, Paula Marks
I've spent a lifetime reading about the gunfight near the OK corral. I continue to read everything published on it. But this wonderful book by Paula Marks is really all you need. She brilliantly presents a credible version of what went on and backs it up with penentrating research. An excellent antidote to the silly Earp worshipers like Casey Terfertiller and Allan Barra who are more insidious than an earlier generation of worshipers because they're so dishonest about their intentions. Walter Noble Burns and Stuart Lake made no bones about their worship of Wyatt. Terfertiller and Barra feign (unconvincingly) objectivity and then basically pass on as fact every tall tale Wyatt ever spun. There are of course Earp bashers who are just as silly but they don't get nearly the readership. But you don't really have to deal with any of them. Paula Marks has done all the work for you. And you know what? I like the real life Wyatt Paula presents more than the make believe man Terfertiller props up in his awful biography.