Outlaws of the Canadian West

Steven R. Hewitt, formerly an assistant professor of history at the
University of Saskatchewan, teaches history at the University of
Indianapolis and is a visiting scholar at Purdue University.

Outlaws have been around in various forms for centuries. A precondition
for their continued existence is the circulation of stories of their
exploits. In turn, this requires a chronicler to churn out the tales,
adding embellishments along the way. Outlaws and Lawmen of the West is
the end product of such a process. As such, there is nothing new here.
Old familiars like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy, along with several
other more forgettable criminals, have their stories recounted once
again.

The emphasis of the book is clearly on those breaking the law. The
“lawmen” of the title appear only as secondary characters in the
context of tracking the outlaws. Overall, the book is mildly
entertaining, but far from enlightening because its originality is as
fleeting as the occasional bank robber who got away.