They Call Me Doc: The Story Behind the Legend of John Henry Holliday

John Henry “Doc” Holliday was a man of education and refinement who went West after contracting tuberculosis. There he hoped both to find a cure in the prairie air and, perhaps, to escape a humdrum home life for a more adventurous one. Once West, however, he became a gunfighter, a gambler, and a saloonkeeper—and he would find his way into the legend of the West through his associations with the Earps, Bat Masterson, Big Nose Kate, and other colorful characters who helped shape the frontier. But he is perhaps best known for his participation in the shootout at the OK Corral and through his many portrayals on film.

This new biography reveals many heretofore unexplored facets of Doc Holliday’s personality and sets the record straight—telling the story he might well have told about himself. Drawing on author D. J. Herda’s interviews with descendants of both Doc and his victims, They Call Me Doc provides a riveting, well-rounded picture of the mythological character and the real man behind it. D. J. Herda is the author of numerous books on a wide range of topics—including Outlaws of the American West—as well as several hundred thousand articles, syndicated columns, and short stories. He lives in St. George, Utah.