Jim Bowie Book

[44caliberkid]

Any recommendations for a good book on Jim Bowie.  I read a magazine article on him that has my curiosity peeked.  I don't want a whitewash.  I realize he was slave trader and had some shady motivations in joining Sam Houston and Jackson.

[Jack Wagon]

Kid, I would suggest James Donovan's, The Blood of Heroes. There is a lot about Bowie, both good and bad in this book . The book is a good read and lots of insight into the other famous characters involved in that 13 day struggle.  JW

[The Elderly Kid]

Another good one is "Three Roads to the Alamo" by William C. Davis. It tracks the lives of Bowie, Crockett and Travis and how these three legendary lives all converged at the Alamo. It explodes many myths and provides documentary proofs (an amazing number of Bowie's fraudulent land claims survive, complete with his handwriting and misspellings.) Perhaps most disheartening, he probably only used a knife in a single fight, the Sandbar duel. The rest was newspaper hype, just like now. Bowie comes off as a charming rogue, a man of questionable ethics but undeniable courage and loyalty to his friends.