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Rating:  -
I was doing some research on Doc Holliday when I came across author Tom Barnes' blog. After reading that I got his book, Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone. This book is a lot of fun. It brings back many facts I remembered from history classes but weaves them into a fascinating story. I have always had an interest in the Wild West and have read other books about the subject. The difference in this book and others is that Tom Barnes gives you the story of Doc Holliday from Holliday's point of view. It lets you see the human side of the famous gun slinger. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading.
Rating: -
Tom Barnes truly captures the real-life story behind this historical legend. Follow Doc Holliday from his childhood, to his eventual and unlikely friendship with Wyatt Earp, and of course the famous gunfight at the OK corral. This book is rich with descriptive detail of Griffin, Georgia, his place of birth, his close relationship with his mother and the attitudes that fueled his hot temper and led him to a life of practiced dentistry, gambling, gun fights and saloon altercations. Definitely a must read for old west buffs. Mixed Nuts
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Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
By Tom Barnes
Who would have thought the legend of Doc Holliday could be connected in any way to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind.
When Doc Holliday went west after he discovered he had tuberculosis, which caused the death of his mother, he left behind a sweetheart who thought he would return after his cure in the warm, dry climate of the west. During his incredible research for the life of Doc Holliday the author, Tom Barnes discovered that this sweetheart, besides being a cousin of Doc Holliday was a distant cousin of Margaret( Peggy) Mitchell. This beautiful, girl, Mattie Holliday, wrote letters to Doc for several years and then after his death became a nun in the order of Sisters of Mercy. Margaret Mitchell used to visit her in the decade before Gone With The Wind was published. If you read the letters which appear in Doc Holliday's Road To Tombstone, you will know almost immediately which of the main characters of GWTW was inspired by Mattie Holliday.
John Henry Holliday was born in Griffin, Georgia and as a young boy moved with his family to Valdosta, Georgia just before the end of the Civil War. In 1872, John Henry was graduated with honors from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. Thus when he went west he became known as "Doc" Holliday. Starting his career as a dentist in Texas, Doc soon learned he could make a better living as a gambler.
The author, Tom Barnes, uses his talent and skill in scriptwriting to portray the downward spiral of John Henry Holliday, He brings to life Doc Holliday's escapades which involved outlaws as well as famous law officers like Wyatt Earp. Those interested in the O K Corral may be more fascinated by the trial which took place afterwards. This book is a great reference for that whole period of the Old West.
Lenora Smalley
California Writers Club
Director at Large
Rating:  -
Ever since I saw the movie Tombstone I have taken a fancy to the legendary gambler Doc Holliday. I was very pleased to find that Tom Barnes based his stroy more around the historical facts instead of the western myth that surrounds this interesting character. I enjoyed this book, but found the writing style to be that of a television or motion picture script. The narrative focused mostly on the verbage of the characters or the action they took part in. The times when the author took us into the characters mind and thoughts were few and not very deep when they did occur. I kept wondering when I was reading the book if the author wrote this book with hopes of later seeing it turned into a show or movie. This book also suffered from some editing errors with a few typos that should have been caught before publishing (see page 20 & 178). While this is a bit of a critical review, I would recomend this book to anyone wants to enjoy a good story and learn a little more about Mr. Holliday. This was a good story I was just hoping for something a little more...
Rating: -
Author Tom Barnes has meticulously written this factual account of the life of Doc Holliday in such a way that you feel as though you are actually right there, experiencing all the excitement and ambience of the era in which Doc's life unfolded. Furthermore, the author provides surprising aspects which only make the story that much more interesting. A great read.
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