Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I loved the movie. Hated the book. Why would they write a book to trash Frank Hopkins? For the truth see frankhopkins.com for pictures, articles, interviews, facts, etc. Even if he stretched the truth a little, what great cowboy storyteller hasn't, he still fought to protect the mustang.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book is an Eye-Opener!
Review: I rode 12,000 miles alone from the Arctic Circle to the Equator between 1984 and 1986. Now, at nearly 70 years old, I am on a 20,000 mile non-stop ride to all 48 state capitals of the USA.I have read this book in the evenings, after I have finished riding for the day. And what I have read has left me deeply disgusted. In fact, the writings of Frank Hopkins should alarm anyone who loves horses. No horseman would brag about riding a horse to death like Hopkins did. And nobody who knows anything about horses would say that all horses are born blind. He may have been a successful liar but Hopkins certainly wasn't a horseman. I believe that American history is important. Hopkins said he was Buffalo Bill's best friend, that he taught Billy the Kid how to survive in the wild, and that he was a half-Lakota who witnessed the Massacre at Wounded Knee. These are lies, as the experts in this book have proved. Our country's history should be honestly written and Hopkins' writings do not portray the truth in any way. Finally, I was born in Texas, so it's fair to say I know a bit about cowboys and horses. It upsets me to learn that folks in Hollywood are now defending Hopkins by saying that all cowboys told tall tales. Some of the most honest people I have ever known are cowboys. So holding up Hopkins as a hero is slandering the image of the American cowboy. This is a very important book and I think that anyone who wants to know the truth about Frank Hopkins should read it. Gene Glasscock
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Rating:
Summary: Book Enlivens Truth, Fiction, Honesty, Plagiarism & more
Review: My university freshman Writing and Research class this term saw the movie and studied this book as they both came out. What I thought would be a "normal" movie vs book comparison assignment gave us instead an explosive entry into larger research and writing issues. Along the way we've analyzed when literal truth is required, when half-truths are ok, when the truth can be positively dangerous, and when fiction carries truth better than non-fiction. The Long Riders' Guild's outraged determination in chasing down the errors, plagiarism, and sad wishful thinking of Frank Hopkins gives this book a sizzle our class found admirable. Not one class member is an equestrian, but the argument that the Long Riders are trying to trash mustangs doesn't bear up: we, at least, now know mustang lore and view those horses positively. We have to acknowledge too that Frank Hopkins did have one kind of journalistic skill: an eye for the stories and prejudices that would appeal to his (and our) era--he knew which ones to lift, claim as, and mix with his own! Frank and Disney recognized that pre-digested ideas go down easier than solid food. Notions of what constitutes plagiarism have changed from ancient times to ours. Writing when he did, Hopkins and his publishers should have known contemporary journalistic and research ethics better. From the Hopkins material traced in this book my students have seen how scholarship bristles with drama, conflict, and long slogs, rather like an endurance race. It's a dense book with a lot of detail. I'd recommend reading it in smallish segments. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Cowboys Should Be Screaming
Review: Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox come to mind after reading this scathing book about Hopkins. Except we all know Paul Bunyon is tall tale. As an equestrian I am upset that Hopkins has lied his way into the history of the West and horsemanship. Shame on the reporters and writers of the early 20th century who never checked the facts. As one who just finished riding one horse 3100 miles from Georgia to Oregon, to have a movie glorify a liar makes me angry.
Those who really have gone on long rides and endurance rides will be outraged. The authors of Hidalgo were meticulous in their research, almost painstakingly so. I was amazed at how much and often they were able to show that Hopkins was simply a braggard and liar. I hope more equestrians will read this book. At least our sub-culture will know that Hopkins was a fraud, pure and simple.
Rating: 
Summary: Mustangs
Review: So what if Frank Hopkins was streching it a bit. I'd really just like a book by him, not his reviewers. I have two of the Gilbert Jones Spanish Mustangs (G swinging J brand) and have been told that today these are more
pure than the remaining Spanish Barbs in and around Spain.
This according to dna testing. I also have foundation quarter horses and other breeds. The Spanish mustangs are unique in personality and abilities. If Frank Hopkins help preserve them, I say thank God.
Rating:
Summary: Hidalgo and Other Stories
Review: The Spanish Mustangs are great endurance racers. They are a rare breed, and few compete on the endurance racing competition. However, those that have, have done an exceptional job. The current USA Jims Stallion Award winner 4 years in a row is a Spanish Mustang. This is not the first time a Spanish Mustang has won this award. One year, the nu. 1 & nu 2 JJ winners were both Spanish Mustangs. I am Spanish Mustang Breeder. This year alone I raised 5 Gilbert Jones / Brislawn foundation bloodline crosses; all are pure Spanish Mustangs. I do not understand why the arabian folks are so unhappy that a mustang can bet the arab, but the fact is Spanish Mustangs can and have placed in front of Arabs. The movie is a much better representation of facts than this book; which was backed by the arabian long riders guide a loose database of endurance racers using arabian horses.
Rating:
Summary: Don¿t be fooled by Frank Hopkins!
Review: This is a fascinating book. When I saw the preview for the Disney film about Hopkins, it seemed like a thrilling adventure, especially as I am a dedicated horsewoman. I wanted to learn more about Frank Hopkins and that is how I found this book.
Hopkins' own words read like a dime-store novel, and the footnotes from the historians make it very clear how he fabricated just about everything he wrote. The editors have included short biographies of the famous people Hopkins pretended to know, which are very useful for someone like me who doesn't know all that much about late nineteenth and early twentieth century American history.
I am horrified to learn that the Walt Disney company is promoting this as a "true story" - the idea of racing for 3,000 miles in those conditions should make any true horseman's blood boil. And how could anyone fall for Hopkins' claim never to have lost an endurance race? Life's not like that! Even the greatest horse in the world loses a shoe sometimes, and the most brilliant rider can have a bad day and get lost.
Walt Disney company should just say the film is fiction. By pretending the film is "based on a true story" they are misleading millions of people - and putting parents in the position of inadvertently lying to their children.
Rating:
Summary: A lesson learned about truth...
Review: This is a five-star book; Hopkins' stories are very colorful and interesting. Although they may not be literally true, because it is nearly impossible for one human being to accomplish all that he claimed to have done, the book is still entertaining. Also, the footnotes by the many historians and researchers, especially the O'Reillys' with the Long Riders' Guild, were extremely informative, and I commend them for working so hard on researching this hoax because a lot of people were not on their side especially the ones involved with Hollywood. But the difference from the historians and Hollywood is fairly simple: the researchers told the TRUTH. I do believe that the Disney Movie should have been advertised as based upon a story, not a true one, although I did enjoy the movie. If someone were to write a book, and it is claimed to be true, then you probably should tell the truth. All in all I do highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and enlightening
Review: This is a very good book. Hopkins stories are entertaining in a purple prosy, old fashioned way and the historical comments by the various historians and experts are very informative. It is too bad that Disney has chosen to market their movie (which I liked, by the way) as a true story, rather than just a movie based on a story. And story it is, there doesn't seem to be a shred of truth in anything he says. Hopkins would have had to be about 300 years old and 3 different people to have met everyone he met and done all he claimed to have done. His stories would be pretty amusing, if they weren't so filled with things that didn't happen and slanders against genuine American hero's and blatant untruths about historical events. Kind of reminds one of the book and movie LITTLE BIG MAN, which never claimed to be anything but entertainment. The editors are to be commended on their research and their committment to the truth. It is too bad the negative reviews tend to focus on some obscure argument about horse breeds rather than on the book and it's author and his supposed exploits. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Example of Excellent Academic Research - BRAVO!
Review: Walt Disney has not lied to you -- Michael Eisner has done that. The wreckage of Disney's company that is now run by this greedy meglomaniac has given us the movie "Hidalgo," set to open in early March 2004.
Disney (New Hollywood Revised Version) says the movie is "based on the true story" of a guy named Frank Hopkins. This book, which is a collection of all the available writings of Frank Hopkins, makes clear that NOTHING Hopkins said that he did can be verified through academic research. The documents are here, and the conclusion is unavoidable: Hopkins never rode 3000 miles across Arabia. Shame on you, Disney Company! The editors who put this together are not the authors of this book -- Hopkins speaks for himself, and believe me, his lies are pathetically obvious. If you read the book, you'll see that there is no way for the story of Frank Hopkins to be "true," unless we re-define what the word means. The editors have even more documentation at their web site, which I checked out. Eisner and the other suits are set to rake in buckets of dollars from this film, and there's nothing we can do about it, except point out that THE WHOLE THING IS A LIE. Why won't they admit it? Why not just say it's fiction? I'll tell you why -- because they paid the screenwriter quite a lot of money to DO RESEARCH and write the script. Oh sure, he did some research - the kind that mediocre undergraduates do: "Oh, it says here that Frank Hopkins rode across Arabia. It must be true, because it's in print!" Please. Actually, I've seen better research from even mediocre undergraduates. Go ahead and rake in the dough, Disney boys. But I'll never respect you again. And I'm NOT taking my child to your silly movie.
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