The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955 Page: 453
650 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
Kearny hoisted the Stars and Stripes over Santa Fe, shortly after
which the novel ends. It was a period, Mr. Arnold would have
us think, when men with open eyes unclouded by prejudice
could see which way history was tending.
If the author has somewhat sacrificed suspense, as must any
novelist dealing with actual events whose outcome the reader
knows, he has received in return the advantage of writing about
a time and place that was extremely exciting. The novel chron-
icles the revolution fomented by Manuel Armijo, with Padre
Antonio Jose Martinez and the Indian, Jos6 Gonzales, by means
of which Armijo eventually vaulted into the Governor's chair-
but only after a short time during which Gonzales proclaimed
himself governor. The rest of the story tells of the struggle, even-
tually successful with the coming of the Americans, to overthrow
the tyrant Armijo, a fight led by Esquipulas Caballero, son of
the erstwhile commander of the presidial troops.
Included also is the New Mexican end of the disastrous Texan-
Santa Fe expedition, treacherously misdirected by the scout Carlos
Gutierrez, and the hair-raising details of the terrible march on
which Damasio Salazar led the Texans from Santa Fe to El Paso
del Norte.
There is, too, of course, a love story, the principals being
Esquipulas Caballero and Soledad Abreu. There are other lesser
love stories in the book, and there are a number of pretty grimy
"affairs."
In sum, this is a novel typical of its genre except that it is better
than most. Historically it seems to be unusually accurate for a
fictional treatment, but because of its heavy load of raw sex,
history teachers might well want to examine it before recom-
mending it to students. It shares one flaw with most other his-
torical novels: four hundred pages could probably have told the
same tale better than six hundred.
RAY PAST
Texas Western College
The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid. By Pat E Garrett. With
an introduction by J. C. Dykes. Norman (University of
Oklahoma Press), 1954. Pp. xxviii-156. Illustrations. $2.oo.
With this edition of Billy the Kid the University of Oklahoma453
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955, periodical, 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101158/m1/522/?rotate=180: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.