The Notorious Life of Ned Buntline, Julia Bricklin
The Notorious Life of Ned Buntline, Julia Bricklin
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Notorious Life of Ned Buntline
A Tale of Murder, Betrayal, and the Creation of Buffalo Bill

Author: Julia Bricklin

Narrator: Chris Abernathy

Unabridged: 7 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/01/2020


Synopsis

Edward Zane Carroll Judson aka Ned Buntline (1821–1886) was responsible for creating a highly romantic and often misleading image of the American West, albeit one that the masses found irresistible in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Some scholars estimate that he wrote at least four hundred dime novels over his lifetime, and perhaps as many as six hundred.

While he is best known for discovering William Frederick Cody (Buffalo Bill) and making the irrepressible scout a star, Judson—by that time—had already lived five lifetimes himself: he had fought Seminole Indians in Florida; started and bankrupted three newspapers; published dozens of successful novels; agitated for the Know-Nothing party; and fought in the Union Army during the Civil War. Along the way, the fiery redheaded, gray-eyed writer lectured extensively about temperance between drinking bouts. He married eight women, seduced at least one other, and cavorted with prostitutes, one of whom beat him physically and legally.

The Notorious Life of Ned Buntline is an open-eyed look at the man who sparked an American legend but whose own scandalous life somehow escaped history's limelight.


About Julia Bricklin

Julia Bricklin has authored a dozen articles in well-respected commercial and academic journals, such as Civil War Times, Financial History, Wild West, True West and California History, and spent several years contributing to Forbes.com. Bricklin grew up in southern California, obtained a journalism degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and worked in the TV/film industry for fifteen years before obtaining her master's degree in history at Cal State Northridge. In addition to serving as associate editor of California History, the publication of the California Historical Society, she is a professor of history at Glendale Community College. She lives in Studio City, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kathleen on January 31, 2021

When it comes to meticulous research, masterful writing and illuminating details, Julia Bricklin has no equal, and with The Notorious Life of Ned Buntline, she's outdone herself once again. All I knew about him before was he had written some western stories and the Buntline Special was likely named......more

Goodreads review by Randi on April 07, 2020

I was fortunate enough to be given a review copy of this book. Fabulous book on a fascinating man (to say the least). Ned Buntline was a bombastic personality, ladies' man (notice the plural) and is best known today for being the man who "discovered" Buffalo Bill. As the reader will discover, he was......more

Goodreads review by Charles on June 19, 2020

Julia Bricklin takes us into the world behind the pen name of Ned Buntline, who is considered the creator of the dime novel. Our real person is Edward Zane Carroll Judson. Mr. Judson was a cad, a scoundrel, a womanizer, a storyteller, a walking contradiction. In the well written 180 pages, Ms. Brick......more

Goodreads review by Katya on June 15, 2020

Having read two of Bricklin’s books now one of the things that impresses me most about her writing is her ability to describe historical happenings in a way that makes them relevant today. I have to confess I am not a huge western fan. I am however a Julia Bricklin fan. I say this because otherwise......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on February 01, 2020

Ned Buntline. He is remembered now as "the creator" of Buffalo Bill, but in his day he was indeed notorious. He incited riots and married multiple women (often at the same time) and murdered jealous husbands of the women he wooed and was as widely read as Mark Twain or any other writer alive at the......more