In the 1920s plans were made to carve the figures of America's greatest presidents into Mount Rushmore, the tallest spot in the Black Hills of the Dakotas, and by 1939 the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt had been carved into the rock. With that, one of America's greatest national monuments was born.

Dodge City

Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West

By:
Tom Clavin

Narrated by:
John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
381

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
348

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
351

Dodge City, Kansas, is a place of legend. The town that started as a small military site exploded with the coming of the railroad, cattle drives, eager miners, settlers, and various entrepreneurs passing through to populate the expanding West. Before long Dodge City's streets were lined with saloons and brothels, and its populace was thick with gunmen, horse thieves, and desperadoes of every sort. By the 1870s Dodge City was known as the most violent and turbulent town in the West.

4 out of 5 stars

The Real Life Story of Dodge City

By
Jean
on
03-26-17

The Earth Is Weeping

The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

By:
Peter Cozzens

Narrated by:
John Pruden

Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
225

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
205

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
206

With the end of the Civil War, the nation recommenced its expansion onto traditional Indian tribal lands, setting off a wide-ranging conflict that would last more than three decades. In an exploration of the wars and negotiations that destroyed tribal ways of life even as they made possible the emergence of the modern United States, Peter Cozzens gives us both sides in comprehensive and singularly intimate detail.

4 out of 5 stars

Good Book!

By
Todd Rykal
on
12-02-16

Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Calamity Jane

By:
Charles River Editors

Narrated by:
Jim D Johnston

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
1

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
1

Story

5 out of 5 stars
1

The most famous woman of the Wild West was also possibly the most colorful and mysterious. "Considered a remarkable good shot and a fearless rider for a girl of my age", Calamity Jane claimed to be a veteran of the Indian Wars, a scout, and the wife of Wild Bill Hickok, all on the way to becoming a dime novel heroine.

Wild Bill - The Story of James Butler Hickok

By:
Donald J. Aday

Narrated by:
Donald J. Aday

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
14

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

The era of the gunfighter in the Wild West began during James Butler Hickok's life. Better known as "Wild Bill," he was the first and most famous gunfighter. A man without equal, he was said to have killed hundreds of outlaws in valiant and bloody struggles to the death, from which he invariably emerged the victor and the hero. Hickok himself was not above adding embellishments to the stories about himself to any reporter who sought him out.

1 out of 5 stars

Too much speculation and not enough research

By
Chelsea
on
10-30-14

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

An Indian History of the American West

By:
Dee Brown

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,327

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,113

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,117

Dee Brown's eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the 19th century uses council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions. Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them demoralized and defeated.

5 out of 5 stars

A classic in every sense of the word...

By
Rich
on
07-30-12

Mount Rushmore

The History and Legacy of America's Most Unique Monument

By:
Charles River Editors

Narrated by:
Neil Reeves

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
6

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
6

Story

4 out of 5 stars
6

In the 1920s plans were made to carve the figures of America's greatest presidents into Mount Rushmore, the tallest spot in the Black Hills of the Dakotas, and by 1939 the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt had been carved into the rock. With that, one of America's greatest national monuments was born.

Dodge City

Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West

By:
Tom Clavin

Narrated by:
John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
381

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
348

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
351

Dodge City, Kansas, is a place of legend. The town that started as a small military site exploded with the coming of the railroad, cattle drives, eager miners, settlers, and various entrepreneurs passing through to populate the expanding West. Before long Dodge City's streets were lined with saloons and brothels, and its populace was thick with gunmen, horse thieves, and desperadoes of every sort. By the 1870s Dodge City was known as the most violent and turbulent town in the West.

4 out of 5 stars

The Real Life Story of Dodge City

By
Jean
on
03-26-17

The Earth Is Weeping

The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

By:
Peter Cozzens

Narrated by:
John Pruden

Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
225

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
205

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
206

With the end of the Civil War, the nation recommenced its expansion onto traditional Indian tribal lands, setting off a wide-ranging conflict that would last more than three decades. In an exploration of the wars and negotiations that destroyed tribal ways of life even as they made possible the emergence of the modern United States, Peter Cozzens gives us both sides in comprehensive and singularly intimate detail.

4 out of 5 stars

Good Book!

By
Todd Rykal
on
12-02-16

Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Calamity Jane

By:
Charles River Editors

Narrated by:
Jim D Johnston

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
1

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
1

Story

5 out of 5 stars
1

The most famous woman of the Wild West was also possibly the most colorful and mysterious. "Considered a remarkable good shot and a fearless rider for a girl of my age", Calamity Jane claimed to be a veteran of the Indian Wars, a scout, and the wife of Wild Bill Hickok, all on the way to becoming a dime novel heroine.

Wild Bill - The Story of James Butler Hickok

By:
Donald J. Aday

Narrated by:
Donald J. Aday

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
14

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

The era of the gunfighter in the Wild West began during James Butler Hickok's life. Better known as "Wild Bill," he was the first and most famous gunfighter. A man without equal, he was said to have killed hundreds of outlaws in valiant and bloody struggles to the death, from which he invariably emerged the victor and the hero. Hickok himself was not above adding embellishments to the stories about himself to any reporter who sought him out.

1 out of 5 stars

Too much speculation and not enough research

By
Chelsea
on
10-30-14

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

An Indian History of the American West

By:
Dee Brown

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,327

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,113

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,117

Dee Brown's eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the 19th century uses council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions. Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them demoralized and defeated.

5 out of 5 stars

A classic in every sense of the word...

By
Rich
on
07-30-12

The Earp Brothers: Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp

By:
Charles River Editors

Narrated by:
Alex Hyde-White - Punch Audio

Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
36

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
33

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Of all the colorful characters that inhabited the West during the 19th century, the most famous of them all is Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), who has long been regarded as the embodiment of the Wild West. Considered the "toughest and deadliest gunman of his day", Earp symbolized the swagger, the heroism, and even the lawlessness of the West.

4 out of 5 stars

So much more than the gunfight at OK Corral

By
DabOfDarkness
on
05-22-15

Undaunted Courage

By:
Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by:
Barrett Whitener

Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,611

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,823

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,821

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and the Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.

5 out of 5 stars

Great detail about this historical event...

By
Christopher
on
05-03-03

Crazy Horse and Custer

The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors

By:
Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by:
Richard Ferrone

Length: 20 hrs and 33 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
184

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
169

Story

5 out of 5 stars
167

On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the US 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer.

5 out of 5 stars

Great story, full of comparison and contrast

By
Buretto
on
05-22-17

Jack Hinson's One-Man War

By:
Tom C. McKenney

Narrated by:
David Colacci

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
268

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
244

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
245

A quiet, wealthy plantation owner, Jack Hinson watched the start of the Civil War with disinterest. Opposed to secession and a friend to Union and Confederate commanders alike, he did not want a war. After Union soldiers seized and murdered his sons, placing their decapitated heads on the gateposts of his estate, Hinson could remain indifferent no longer. He commissioned a special rifle for long-range accuracy, he took to the woods, and he set out for revenge.

5 out of 5 stars

Historically accurate Nonfiction as captivating as Author's prose

By
DZ
on
01-17-17

Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Patriots

By:
Bill O'Reilly,
David Fisher

Narrated by:
Holter Graham,
Bill O'Reilly

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,467

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,290

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,292

The must-have companion to Bill O'Reilly's historical docudrama
Legends and Lies: The Patriots, an exciting and eye-opening look at the Revolutionary War through the lives of its leaders. The American Revolution was neither inevitable nor a unanimous cause. It pitted neighbors against each other as loyalists and colonial rebels faced off for their lives and futures. These were the times that tried men's souls: No one was on stable ground, and few could be trusted.

5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't stop listening!

By
Erin
on
08-05-16

Dead Run

The Murder of a Lawman and the Greatest Manhunt of the Modern American West

By:
Dan Schultz

Narrated by:
Arthur Morey

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1,492

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,361

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,356

On a sunny May morning in 1998 in Cortez, Colorado, three desperados in a stolen truck opened fire on the town cop, shooting him 20 times; then they blasted their way past dozens of police cars and disappeared into 10,000 square miles of the harshest wilderness terrain on the North American continent. Self-trained survivalists, the outlaws eluded the most sophisticated law enforcement technology on the planet and a pursuit force that represented more than 75 local, state, and federal police agencies with dozens of SWAT teams, U.S. Army Special Forces....

4 out of 5 stars

Sounds like fiction...but it's not! Great Listen!

By
Karen
on
04-04-13

All Creatures Great and Small

By:
James Herriot

Narrated by:
Christopher Timothy

Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,522

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
2,708

Story

5 out of 5 stars
2,706

In this first volume of his memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby, and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? The local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Siegfried Farnon, his charming student brother Tristan, and Herriot's first encounters with a beautiful girl named Helen.

5 out of 5 stars

A Wonderful Listen--Stories That Never Get Old

By
Sara
on
09-10-14

Gumption

Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers

By:
Nick Offerman

Narrated by:
Nick Offerman

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,312

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3,074

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,059

The star of
Parks and Recreation and author of the
New York Times best seller
Paddle Your Own Canoe returns with a second book that humorously highlights 21 figures from our nation's history, from her inception to present day - Nick's personal pantheon of "great Americans".

5 out of 5 stars

A great series of short biographies.

By
Nicholas Cottrell
on
02-02-16

Road to Jonestown

Jim Jones and Peoples Temple

By:
Jeff Guinn

Narrated by:
George Newbern

Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,223

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,127

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,123

In the 1950s a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the Gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially integrated, and he was a much-lauded leader in the contemporary civil rights movement. Eventually Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to Northern California. He became involved in electoral politics and soon was a prominent Bay Area leader.

5 out of 5 stars

How about a little pronunciation research?

By
Lori Buckley
on
05-18-17

13 Hours

The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi

By:
Mitchell Zuckoff,
Annex Security Team

Narrated by:
Mitchell Zuckoff

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,565

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,667

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,632

13 Hours presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale.

5 out of 5 stars

Well written factual accounting of a horrific day and night

By
Jimmy & Kellie
on
02-13-16

Lonesome Dove

By:
Larry McMurtry

Narrated by:
Lee Horsley

Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
84

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
80

Story

5 out of 5 stars
79

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove will make listeners laugh, weep, dream, and remember.

5 out of 5 stars

Great story even for the length.

By
KCummings
on
05-08-18

Empire of the Summer Moon

Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

By:
S. C. Gwynne

Narrated by:
David Drummond

Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
700

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
637

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
634

Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son, Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

4 out of 5 stars

Great story in need of better narration

By
wms2003
on
06-30-17

Publisher's Summary

"On Wednesday about 3 o'clock the report stated that J.B. Hickok (Wild Bill) was killed. On repairing to the hall of Nuttall and Mann, it was ascertained that the report was too true." - The Black Hills Pioneer

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, listeners 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.

The Wild West has made legends out of many men, but it also forged a lasting legacy for a few of the West's most legendary towns, and alongside the city of Tombstone, Arizona, perhaps the most famous of them was Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Deadwood owes its notoriety to some of the colorful people who called it home, and a recent critically acclaimed television series about the town that brought it to life for millions of modern viewers.

In many ways, Deadwood fit all the stereotypes associated with the Old West. A mining town that sprung up quickly, it was a dusty place on the outskirts of civilization that brought together miners, cowboys, lawmen, saloons, gambling, brothels, and everything in between, creating an environment that was always colorful and occasionally fatal.