The Big Fifty

by Johnny D. Boggs

Book Overview

THE STUFF OF LEGENDSYoung Coady McIlvain spends his days reading about the heroic exploits of the legendary heroes of the West, especially the glorious Buffalo Bill Cody. The harsh reality of frontier... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843953187
• ISBN13: 9780843953183
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

The Big Fifty

Johnny Boggs tells a tale about some rough experiences for a young teenage boy growing up on the prairie. He's stolen by Indians and escapes to the safety of a buffalo hunter who befriends him and takes him under his wing. The buffalo hunter has some growing up to do himself, and Boggs does a good job of bringing both the teenage boy, and his hunter friend through some violent life lessons that lead to maturity. Historically accurate, this book will help satisfy some who might be interestd in the time of the "buffalo runners" and what life may have been like as a captive among Comanches.

A Great Story Of The Old West with Realistic Characters

This is Great story with realistic characters,the old west as it really was,Johnny Boggs rousing tale of his Character,Coady Mcllvain,is so real,once you start this book its hard to it put down..

The Big Fifty is a Fabulous Western!!

1872, Kansas. When twelve-year-old Coady McIlvain and his dad are attacked by Indians, everything changes for him. His father is scalped and Coady is taken prisoner. Coady eventually escapes and ends up with a buffalo hunting, fifty caliber Sharps rifle packing, sharpshooter named Dylan Griffith. Before coming West, young Coady has read a ton of dime westerns and his hero is the great Buffalo Bill Cody. The way the boy mixes up what he has in his mind from the books he's read, with the reality of what he runs into...if utterly fascinating at all times. The Big Fifty has by far the very best portrayal of the buffalo hunters I've ever read...the endless killing, the piles of buffalo hides, the stinking, rotting carcasses, the seemingly limitless amount of bones and buffalo. The buffalo hunter, Dylan Griffith, is an unusual hero too...he's a good guy, a printer by trade, better educated than most buffalo men, but not all good by any means, he kills thousands of buffalo, all the while knowing he's killing off a way of life that will never return. The Indians in this fabulously good read, they're all different, some are disgusting, mean, cruel, and others are decent, brave, considerate. The Big Fifty is a wild, rollicking tale, one that starts out with a bang, never ever lets the reader down for one moment, a book that keeps you turning the pages and reading long into the night. I just flat out loved The Big Fifty and I intend to get more books by Johnny D. Boggs and read them. Boggs is a wonderful writer and anyone who appreciates a western with lots of flavor and action, ought to really enjoy the Big Fifty. I highly recommend this terrific book! Sure to be a classic.