[.ca] Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait (ISBN 0806133201)

very disappointing:
it was clear from the beginning of the author's agenda. since she is family she definitely wanted to sanatize his reputation and deeds. she never really got into any of the details of his frontier life and the men he allegedly killed. she spent way too much time about his family and not enough about him in the west.

The Real Doc Holliday:
Even today people want to cling to the notion that J.H. "Doc" Holliday was a famous, notorious gunfighter despite the myths not being proven or sources listed. Although Tanner spends most of her book telling readers the history of the well-to-do Holliday family of Georgia, she pieces together the life of Doc Holliday as best as possible with the documentation available, including presenting new information, if not evidence, of what may have actually taken place (such as the killing of Old Man Clanton and Johnny Ringo). Back in the 1800s stories were often-times embellished, especially in "the wild west" to placate people or to seek revenge. Additionally, this mis-information spread like wild fire throughout the country (much as it still does today); people love gossip and thrive on rumor (even "Wild Bill" Hickok was not the notorious gunfighter people made him out to be). Virtually every town in the West in the 1800s had at least one newspaper that told of the events occuring on a weekly, if not daily basis. Additionally, even back then, legal documents were filed, such as marriages, property ownership, court procedings, etc., all of which provide and, more importantly, can substantiate claims of events having taken place. Tanner clearly scoured these documents to prove, if not disprove, what Doc did or did not do during his time in the West as his family was left in the dark as to what he was up to, aside from infrequent written correspondence to his cousins. Unless we can go back in time we never know what REALLY happened, whether it be that Doc killed 15 people before arriving in Tombstone or . After reading the comments of several other reviewers who were disappointed with Tanner's book, they clearly did not read that the title is "...A Family Portrait." Tanner's book is just that: a family portrait of a man who became a western icon and legend; a man who grew up in a southern, aristocratic family that felt shame upon hearing of their beloved John Henry's western exploits (as would have been the case in ANY wealthy family) and thereby never spoke of his name. In that respect, the one disappointment in Tanner's work is the fact that a few famous tales were left out. Shedding light on Doc's true relationship with his cousin Mattie (what made her become a nun?) and those famous last words of his (if Kate was really with Doc when he died, did he really say, "This is funny"? which Kate claims is not what he said). All in all, a great read for Doc afficionados.

Review of "Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait":
I was very impressed with Ms. Tanner's work on Doc. Most people think of Doc as being an assasin but this simply was not the case. Doc obtained his manners in Georgia, as well as his card playing ability, and unfortunately TB. Doc was a brilliant man who proved himself in the world of Dentistry. Ms. Tanner uses a lot of information only she was privy to convey the transition of this unusual man from being a Georgia Doctor to becoming a "sporting man." Yes, Doc did kill some people. The times were much harsher back then. If you gambled, you better have a six gun on standby and be ready to use it if a crooked player crawfished a bet and tried to throw down on you. In my view, Ms. Tanner also conveyed one of the most outstanding characteristics about Doc...his loyalty. He proved this time and time again with the Earps. I loved Ms. Tanner's book, and if Doc were still alive, he would be welcome around my campfire anytime.

Not what it could've been:
I would have preferred that if the author was wanting to refute some of legendary happenings attached to J.H. "Doc" Holliday that she would have done so to each instance. Instead she ignored many circumstances completely. What was in reality only a 233 page effort with 100+ pages of geneology, bibliography and contents could have been with more research and work easily a 450+ page novel. What is written is well written and is an easy read. "A Family Portrait" is for the most part exactly that. I bought the book for a greater understanding of the character and that I received. I put the book down believing that although many of the acts attributed to Doc Holliday through legend and Hollywood may be false this version of his life does the complete opposite by not going far enough. I do have what I believe a greater understanding of the man but by far not the complete picture. I'll just have to keep reading.

Doc Holliday - A Family Portrait:
I was hoping to get some interesting insight into Doc Holliday by one of his ancestors and this book does provide information on his early life that you don't usually find. However, there was a little too much information about his family - parents, uncles, aunts - that I personally did not care about. There is also a section of Doc Holliday's genealogy that I felt could have been left out, although actually there was a tidbit of information there that was useful to me. I didn't feel that there was much detail brought in to certain events, but then, there are other books that provide practically second by second coverage of the Tombstone gunfight. His death was not written in detail and his famous last words were left out of the book. That said, I would still recommend this book to someone wanting to know more about the life of Doc Holliday away from Tombstone. It is also an easy, to the point read.