The life of Buffalo Bill

Originally published in 1879, The Life of Buffalo Bill was written as an autobiography by William Frederick Cody, the legendary frontiersman and showman better known as Buffalo Bill. The text emerged during the height of the Wild West era, serving as both a personal memoir and a strategic piece of publicity for his burgeoning Wild West shows. It captures the transition of the American frontier from historical reality into the foundational mythology of the United States.

The 1990 edition from The Narrative Press is a modern reprint designed to preserve Cody's original narrative for contemporary readers and historians. While the original book relied on the serialized, sensationalist prose typical of 19th-century dime novels to build Cody's larger-than-life persona, this edition focuses on archival accessibility. It is a standard reference for those interested in the self-fashioning of American icons, highlighting the intersection between genuine frontier experience and the polished performance of celebrity.