Billy the Kid Beyond the Grave

Conspiracy theorists will love this little book. Jameson (Unsolved Mysteries of the Old West), a professional treasure hunter and writer, does his best to make the case that Billy the Kid was not shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881 in Lincoln County, NM. William Henry Roberts (1859-1950) is put forth as Billy the Kid, renegade turned cowboy and lawman, who supposedly performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West and joined Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders under an unknown alias. Unfortunately, Jameson weakens his case by uncritically accepting nearly any evidence that supports his position and casting aspersions on those who disagree with him. Librarians looking for a good general history of Billy the Kid would do well to seek out Robert M. Utley's Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life or Frederick Nolan's The West of Billy the Kid. Jameson's book is a popular, anti-establishment account that may be of interest to libraries with large Western outlaw literature collections.-Nathan Bender, Buffalo Bill Historical Ctr., Cody, WY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.