Six slim volumes contain some history but are composed mostly of brief biographical sketches of famous and not-so-famous western figures. The books strive to include subjects from a variety of cultural backgrounds, but the information is skimpy and the presentation formulaic. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and reproductions, these editions (new series title and book titles) have strikingly dated-looking covers. Websites. Bib., glos., ind.

SAVAGE, Jeff . Daring Pony Express Riders: True Tales of the Wild West . ISBN 978-0-7660-4023-6 ; ISBN 978-1-4644-0031-5 . LC 2011028124. SAVAGE, Jeff . Fearless Scouts: True Tales of the Wild West . ISBN 978-0-7660-4024-3 ; ISBN 978-1-4644-0032-2 . LC 2011028125. SAVAGE, Jeff . Pioneering Women: True Tales of the Wild West . ISBN 978-0-7660-4022-9 ; ISBN 978-1-4644-0030-8 . LC 2011028122. SAVAGE, Jeff . Quick-Draw Gunfighers: True Tales of the Wild West . ISBN 978-0-7660-4021-2 ; ISBN 978-1-4644-0029-2 . LC 2011028121. SAVAGE, Jeff . Rugged Gold Miners: True Tales of the Wild West . ISBN 978-0-7660-4020-5 ; ISBN 978-1-4644-0028-5 . LC 2011026343. ea vol: 48p. (True Tales of the Wild West Series). map. photos. reprods. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Enslow . 2012. PLB $21.26; pap. $7.95. 36 Each volume hooks readers with a dramatic opening scene pulled right out of the untamed West of yore: Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers heading for certain trouble in Tombstone, AZ; Kit Carson raising his rifle to shoot an elk, the first meat he and his men have had in days. Each dynamic lure gives way to concise, spirited accounts that explain the historical context of each featured Wild West bunch. Key figures, events, and the circumstances of each group's demise are included. The occasional black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout the volumes are lackluster, especially when compared with the melodramatic covers.