Knights of the Green Cloth: The Saga of the Frontier Gamblers

by Robert, K DeArment and Robert K. DeArment

Book Overview

The English essayist Charles Lamb once said, "Man is a gaming animal." If he had known the American frontier gamblers depicted in this book, he might have added "in spades," referring to the avidity with which these "knight of the green cloth" pursued their profession.

All of the pioneers who ventured into the American West of the nineteenth century were gamblers in a sense, betting on the land, the future, and themselves. They risked their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806122455
• ISBN13: 9780806122458
• Release Date: March 1990
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 440 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Gamblers of the Old West

KNIGHTS OF THE GREEN CLOTH is a history book that reads like a novel. Many famous and infamous names are included in the telling as the men and women of chance follow the westward trek of the pioneer wagons and gold seekers. A gold strike and they arrived, set up their tents, opened their games, and dealt the cards. The lobe pays out and they are gone to the next gulch or return home. Some did return home---the famous Keenland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky was established from gambling winnings. Today this non-profit charity track is known world wide. Writing a western, these characters were there. Enjoy reading westerns and watching movies on TV, it is fun to compare notes with the facts and how the gamblers are shown in fiction and film. Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico