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Rating: 
Summary: Nice blend of visual detail and written history.
Review: Although there may be minor flubs in the narrative this is still a great book. For firearms afficionados or Cowboy Shooters like myself the really stocked displays of firearms photos are a great way to study the evolution of 19th century firearms as well as see the wide variations as well as pieces owned by notably figures. The text is a nice introduction to the era of the gunfighter. It's a book that you'll pick up over and over to look at and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Nice blend of visual detail and written history.
Review: Although there may be minor flubs in the narrative this is still a great book. For firearms afficionados or Cowboy Shooters like myself the really stocked displays of firearms photos are a great way to study the evolution of 19th century firearms as well as see the wide variations as well as pieces owned by notably figures. The text is a nice introduction to the era of the gunfighter. It's a book that you'll pick up over and over to look at and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Trust All of the Hype
Review: Dr. Rosa's work is indeed beautiful to look at, illustrated with many period photos, lithographs, and modern color photos and pictures as well; however, the above reviewers may have been too quick to suggest his historical accuracy. In one instance, for example, when he is giving the narrative of "Longhaired Jim Courtright" he writes that his name was James Courtright when in fact it was Timothy Isaiah Courtright (thus the name of his private firm was T.I.C. in Fort Worth, TX). Given that Rosa will dedicate several pages to giving a narrative of Courtright's life and death, it might have been nice if he had paid attention to minor details, like, say, getting Courtright's name correct. Such discrepancies undermine the authority one might otherwise attach to Dr. Rosa's work. I would urge the people who are using his work as a "bible" to gather a slightly larger library rather than trusting any single source for their reference purposes. As a single work, this one is pretty, but ultimately, simply a retelling of the same old shootist stories with less than scrupulous attention to historical fact.
Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, poor text
Review: It is true that should you buy this book, you will be referring to it again and again for its wonderful pictures of 19th century American firearms which it presents in beautiful plates. All the pictures come from the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles (for Colt firearms) or the Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming (for all others). You will not be referring to its text by Joseph Rosa, the author most famous for his biography of Wild Bill Hickok. His writing style is surprisingly and infuriatingly cumbersome. He is difficult to read, and he seems incapable of consistently putting together sentences that flow. I found myself saying over and over, "this would have been a lot clearer if he had put a comma here, or taken this one out, or broken this long sentence into two, or re-phrased this differently." One has to re-read his paragraphs two or three times very often to follow his narrative. His Hickok biography has the same problem. One additional problem is that this is really two separate books. One is Rosa's narrative, and the other is the firearms pictures. The index deals with the narrative only. The excellent firearms pictures are not indexed, a handicap when one uses this book as a reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Reality Vs. Myth
Review: Of the many books I have on the subject of the West from 1840 - 1900, GUNFIGHTERS is one notch above them all. The pictures and drawnings are superb. The stories and history of each individual rely on fact and not on folk lore that so many other books do. I am a member of an Old West Re-enactment group and this book is our Bible
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview of The Violent West
Review: Rosa's book is the best general overview of the West's violent history I have come across. It's the first book I reach for when someone asks me a question about Old West gunfighters. Although he doesn't go into a great deal of detail on individuals, Rosa provides enough accurate historical information about the pertinent events of gunfighters' lives to satisfy most curious readers. There are few notable gunfighters who aren't given mention in Rosa's book. For those who seek a deeper look into the history of the period, or of an individual gunfighter, Rosa's bibliography will point them in the right direction. Unlike many historical treatments which concentrate on events after 1870 and west of the Mississipi, Rosa's treatment includes several antebellum examples of gunfighter/outlaws. My only complaint regarding this aspect of the book is his relatively sparse discussion of the role of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the creation of the culture that fostered the development of the Old West gunfighter. In my opinion, what makes AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER a real gem is its plethora of superb photos and illustrations. In particular, the many photographic plates of Old West firearms are truly exceptional. The firearms enthusiast or Cowboy Action Shooter who wants to know more about the weapons of the West will find these plates a veritable treasure trove. The book also provides photgraphic portraits of most of the gunslingers, sometimes multiple photos, and some of which I've not seen elsewhere. Rosa also included several of my favorite gunfighter paintings by N.C. Wyeth including the "action" portrait of Wild Bill Hickok sported on the cover. This book is a must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Photos, but text seems a bit jumbled.
Review: Very nice displays of guns and accoutrements, but the text suffers. Accounts are often presented in isolation, and the book seems to only follow a loose chronological order. Probably worth the photos, but the book is far from resembling any kind of scholarly undertaking.
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