Book Development
Before he wrote the book, Lake specialized in stories about the Old West. He knew Bat Masterson, who wrote for the New York Morning Telegraph, and Bat had told Lake that if he wanted true stories about the American Old West, to contact Earp. He sought Earp out, initially hoping to write a magazine article about him. Earp was in his 80s and was concerned that his vantage point into history had not been captured, and he was seeking a biographer at about the same time. Wyatt may also have been financially motivated as he had little income in his last years of life. Although the book is written in Earp's voice, Lake only interviewed him eight times, during which Earp sketched out the "barest facts" of his life for Lake. Josephine was also trying to get her own life story published.
Read more about this topic: Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal
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