Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait

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Summary: Doc Holliday - A Family Portrait
Review: 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.

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Summary: a peek at the REAL John Henery Holliday
Review: I was truely impressed by the amount of information given about his life BEFORE all the myths,stories,and lies. Mrs. Tanner gave a good prospective of the quiet well mannerd "Doc" Holliday instead of the legand.

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Summary: Review of "Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait"
Review: 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.

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Summary: Not what it could've been
Review: 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.

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Summary: The other Doc Holliday
Review: In this book, we see more of the real John Henry "Doc" Holliday. His life included much more than the OK Corral street fight. This book is a required addition to the library of any serious researcher of the life and times of Doc Holliday. If you can only afford to buy one book about Doc Holliday, make it this one.

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Summary: very disappointing
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: very disappointing
Review: 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.

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Summary: Worthwhile Addition
Review: Karen Tanner's book is a worthwhile addition to any western history library. This book DOES contain much information that has not been found in previous sources, and has obviously filtered out the sensationalism that has been injected into the Doc Holliday/Earp story through time.

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Summary: An excellent book
Review: Ms. Tanner has done a wonderful job. Her writing style is great, and she brings Doc Holliday to life. She shows the human side too this often misunderstood man who has become more of a myth than a real person. I think this book is a must read for any fan o the old west.


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Summary: I KNOW THIS BOOK
Review: Several years ago, Karen's mother wrote to me and wondered what to do with all the wonderful Doc Holliday memorabilia she had. In many cases, my radar warns me I am dealing with a faker who is trying to palm themselves off as a family member. Not this time. I promptly wrote back and in a few weeks, Karen Tanner, the author of this book was visiting us with her husband, John, who is a history professor. Her mother was in her terminal illness, but Karen, like her mother and her husband, thought they should do something with the treasure trove of inside family information they possessed. I had hoped that someday the Holliday family would step up and tell their story. This had been partilally done by Doc's relative, Susan McKey Thomas, but it was not as detailed as I had hoped. (A fine book, by the way, highly commendable, and everyone should read it that is interested in Doc.) All that aside, I encouraged Karen to do a book and she started it right where I am sitting on the word processor on which I am writing this. After two years of field work, assisted by her husband, Karen produced the Doc book I had hoped for. It will be the ultimate work, in my opinion. You have to read it to appreciate the riches of photos, family insights, memorabilia, recollections, and rich detail that brings us Doc as he was. I can hardly say more. Read it and judge for yourself. It will be a long while before a book of this unique nature graces the field of Western history. A true treasure. A delight to read. A remarkable comparison of fact vs. the former myths that passed as biographies. Glenn G. Boyer