Lance Avery Morgan
Internationally Acclaimed Austin-Based Author Wows With Latest Non-Fiction Tome That Captures The State’s Robust Western Spirit
By Lance Avery Morgan Book photography courtesy of Penguin Random House
If you think you know the Old West, think again. The epic, Homeric-level myths of the fabled past are just as popular now as when the armed lone men on the range made headlines in their day. Call it the New West, but call it influential pop culture once again embracing the Great American Cowboy these days, on TV tales like Landman, Yellowstone, 1923, and anything else in the many offerings by Taylor Sheridan.
In the new Penguin Random House’s The Gunfighters: How Texas Made The West Wild, Bryan Burrough unholsters the Hollywood myths and lets them fire with a gripping, deeply researched account of the real men behind the legends. This isn’t just another retelling of the O.K. Corral shootout—it’s a fully loaded, fast-paced ride through the lawless frontier, where justice was often decided looking down the barrel of a six-shooter, and the truth was just as slippery as a snake oil salesman selling his spurious wares. “I can say that I was startled how much, given how much I read, how easy it was to visualize things as they happened,” shared Bryan Burrough. “That made it easier to write evocatively because I literally purchased every book ever written about these people, and pretty much every book adjacent to them.”
As a sixth-generation Texan deeply rooted in my family’s history and its impact on this state, the subject of gunfighters resonates with me on a personal level. My great-great-grandfather’s tragic story adds a poignant layer to my interest in the Old West. During the early pioneer days of Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, in September of 1884, he was fatally shot by outlaws while hosting the state’s inaugural county fair and horse race on our family ranch. Historical records recount that amidst the chaos, as he reached for his gun near the safe, he was ambushed by a gang of men who then fled into the mayhem of the fairgrounds. His young son, my great-grandfather, was just nine years old at the time and discovered him soon after the infraction. The ensuing manhunt, led by early Texas Ranger enforcement, became one of the most extensive in the state’s history at that time, reflecting the profound impact of his loss on the community. The outlaws responsible were never apprehended. This personal connection makes my exploration of Burrough’s The Gunfighters all the more compelling.
Behind every great book lies a fascinating backstory. When I asked about Burrough’s passion for the Western subject matter, he enthused, “I had been thinking about this book for 20 years, since 2005. And finally, in 2018, I decided I’d come up with some fresh things to say. Things that seemed new, as if I might be able to breathe life into Western literature successfully, that had really not felt updated in 40 years.”
With his research, Burrough also turned to the film lore of Westerns. “I never liked the silly Westerns from the 50s and 60s. I started to get into it when you got the grittier, more non-fiction-y stuff in the 70s onward, like McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Unforgiven, and movies like those. I’ve always been interested in stories that reflect good and bad guys…classic stories about people in jeopardy.” He continued, “I wanted to learn the actual history as opposed to the movies, and how close the movies were to reality. And in this case, especially writing about post-Civil War Texans, I was startled to learn slowly how much truth there was to some of these old myths and legends over the years.”
Yet, for all its cinematic verve that appears on the page, The Gunfighters is also a work of rigorous history. Burrough separates fact from frontier fiction with a scholar’s precision, digging into historical records, transcripts, and personal correspondences to paint as accurate a picture as possible. He acknowledges where gaps exist, legends took over, and past biographers may have indulged in too much cowboy embellishment. “I wanted to be able to tell a flowing narrative that would first and foremost entertain you, and at the end of it, you may think, oh, I also learned a few things.” Burrough recounted.
Burrough, a master of captivatingly historical narrative (Barbarians at the Gate, Public Enemies, along with my all-time favorite of his about Texas oilmen striking it big, The Big Rich), applies his signature investigative style to the life of Jesse James, Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid (Harry Alonzo Longabaugh), stripping away the dime store novel fantasies and revealing men who were equal part lawman, outlaws, gamblers, and opportunists. For example, Billy the Kid in The Gunfighters is neither the flawless hero of 1950s Westerns, nor the outright rogue some revisionists paint him to be. Instead, Burrough gives us complicated, ambitious, and often ruthless figures who walked the razor’s edge between law and outlaw, order and anarchy.
What makes The Gunfighters so compelling is Burrough’s storytelling prowess. He writes with the tension of a shootout at dawn, crafting scenes so cinematic you can almost hear the jangle of spurs and the creak of saloon doors. Whether he’s detailing the brutal realities of the Old West, Burrough keeps the action taut and the stakes high, as if he had a hand in overhearing conversations in the era’s many saloons. And then there’s the rich supporting cast—a rogues’ gallery of outlaws and lawmen, each as colorful as a poker table where many of them sat.
Being a gunfighter in the Old West was also being a gambler in life. Burrough doesn’t just name-drop these figures; he brings them to life with the same depth and complexity that he grants all the outlaws, ensuring that this book is as much a study of the turbulent American West as it is a biography of its most famous denizens. “When you look back at the first gunfights to gain national attention in the Kansas cow towns in the 1870s, those towns only existed to accept Texas cattle, Texas cowboys, and Texas cattlemen. I mean, it was all about Texas,” explained Burrough.
When I asked Burrough if he had a choice to go back in time and choose whose gunfighter’s boots he would walk in, he emphatically stated, “It’d be Wyatt Earp because he has a moral component to his narrative, and I think to his character. He was the real deal at a time when so many Western sheriffs were corrupt, bumbling, or timid. Instead, he was the guy who not only tried to do the right thing, but first and foremost, he understood what it was. And time and again, he put his life on the line for the rule of law, for his family.”
So, saddle up and delve into this captivating journey through the Old West. In the meantime, look for Burrough’s next book devoted to all you never knew about pirates. Yes, pirates.
Ultimately, The Gunfighters isn’t just a book about outlaws—it’s about the making of American legends, the fine line between justice and vengeance, and the brutal, beautiful chaos of the Old West. Whether you’re a Western history buff, a fan of classic cowboy tales, or someone who appreciates a well-told story of grit and ambition, this book is a must-read for any Texan or those enamored by Texas.
“There is something about the Old West if you’re an American trying to figure out where you came from, and where we came from,” stated Burrough. “Nobody goes back to George Washington and powdered wigs, right? Nobody is really into that. It’s about people who settled in the middle of nowhere in the Old West and created their own lives. That feels more like an American origin story than anything else in American history.”
Run, don’t walk, to get your copy of The Gunfighters on its debut June 3rd by visiting here.
As a side note, Bryan Burrough is supporting the St. David’s Foundation’s Toast of the Town festivities of signature events this spring and will make event appearances at bookstores across the state.
