Doc Holliday

"Doc was a dentist, not a lawman or an assassin, whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a frontier vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long lean ash-blond fellow nearly dead with consumption, and at the same time the most skillful gambler and the nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun that I ever knew." – Wyatt Earp

Space may be the final frontier, but no frontier has ever captured the American imagination like the “Wild West”, which still evokes images of dusty cowboys, outlaws, gunfights, gamblers, and barroom brawls over 100 years after the West was settled. A constant fixture in American pop culture, the 19th century American West continues to be vividly and colorful portrayed not just as a place but as a state of mind. In Charles River Editors’ Legends of the West series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most famous frontier figures in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Of all the colorful characters that inhabited the West during the 19th century, the man who has earned an enduring legacy as the region’s quirkiest is John Henry “Doc” Holliday (1851-1887), a dentist turned professional gambler who was widely recognized as one of the fastest draws in the West. In fact, the only thing that might have been faster than the deadly gunman’s draw was his violent temper, which was easily set off when Holliday was drunk. By the early 1880s, Holliday had been arrested nearly 20 times.

That said, there were plenty of men in the West who gambled, drank, and dueled, and Holliday may have been lumped in with those whose names were forgotten but for his association with Wyatt Earp. It was this friendship that led to Holliday’s role in the West’s most famous shootout, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall, as well as the Earp Vendetta Ride. For those two events alone, Holliday’s legacy has endured, and his unique characteristics have added a mystique, legendary quality to it.

Next to Earp, Holliday might be the second most recognizable name among the legends of the West, and yet several details of his life remain sketchy. Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Doc Holliday chronicles Holliday’s life, while also analyzing his legacy and the mythology that has enveloped his story. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Doc Holliday like you never have before, in no time at all.

© 2025 Charles River Editors (Ebook): 9781475333411

Release date

Ebook: 15 May 2025