First published 2011
David Crockett never wore a coonskin cap or killed a bear at age three. These myths came later, products of Hollywood and popular culture that transformed the Tennessee frontiersman into "Davy Crockett." Historian Michael Wallis cuts through decades of folklore to recover the authentic man behind the legend. Born to a poor Tennessee family in 1786, Crockett carved out multiple lives across early America. He hunted bears, explored the frontier, fought as a soldier under Andrew Jackson, served unexpectedly in Congress, and died at the Alamo in what remains a disputed end. Wallis separates the documented facts from the tall tales, revealing how Crockett became both a genuine American figure and a manufactured cultural icon. The biography traces his journey from humble origins through his rise as a storyteller and politician, showing how the real man compared to his mythic double. This account offers readers an authentic portrait of Crockett and the turbulent era that shaped him, complete with sixty black and white illustrations that bring his world to life.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figure, rags-to-riches
Setting: Alamo, Tennessee
Period: 1786, Early America
380 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company