James Arness Books

Great book on Alasks's history. Too bad such a highly skilled wonderful man had to die so young.

Don Sheldon was one of kind, and one of the greats of Alaska aviation. He was a pioneer without doubt on Denali. A good job by author James Greiner. If you liked this book, you will also like,

FLYING NORTH SOUTH EAST AND WEST, by Captain Terry Reece This book covers not only Alaska aviation, but polar expeditions, cargo flying world wide.
Flying North South East and West: Arctic to the Sahara

Good book if you are interested in Bush Pilots in Alaska and flying.
Don Sheldon was a fearless, dedicated pilot.

The man character in this book is a amazing person and pilot.
I could not believe the true live experiences this person
lived through. A great book for any one who likes non fiction.

If you like Mountains and Flying then this is a book for your library, most enjoyable.

I absolutely loved this book. It moved fast and kept me interested the entire time. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Gunsmoke or just likes stories about the Old West. Joseph West is a great writer- his second book is as moving and exciting as the first. I hope he writes many more! I loved the interplay between Matt and Kitty in this story, it was very true to what was behind the scenes on the TV show.

Joseph A. West takes you back to Dodge city with vividly drawn characters, fierce action and all the fine citizens of Dodge.
I can't wait for the next exciting tale in the series!

I really enjoyed this book. As the first book, I read this book in one day. My heart starts beating faster when I first opened the book. As the first book, Mr.West still refers to Matt Dillon as City Marshal and I guess he has his reasons. I love the romance between Matt and Kitty and Mr. West makes it clear that they are in love and everyone see's it. We can fully embrace their relationship. And for me, it's a welcome site. I know their relationship on the show was strong and they were devoted to eachother and we've seen that as far back as the first season in 1955.Though it became more obvious in the early 60's. And the writers left it all up to the viewers thoughts and I'm sure we all came up with the same result. But actually reading it and seeing it in print was heartwarming. And for me it confirmed the love they had for eachother. So if you like western action with some romance then you will like this book.

I am a huge "Gunsmoke " fan also. While Mr. West has inaccuracies such as Matt being a City Marshal, Festus reading, and a Mayor of Dodge City; overall it is a good read. Yes, Mr. West took Matt & Kitty to a different level; however, in later years of the show, the relationship may have been implied, but I don't believe it is ambiguous as it was in the earlier years. The show definitely changed with the times. Remember, Newly did start to teach Festus to read--although it was with images and not words. I would like to see more of Doc as he was an integral part of the TV show. But hey, if Mr. Arness thinks highly of the books, shouldn't we?

I loved this book. I did notice that Mr. West has been paying attention to at least some of the things for which fans have criticized his Gunsmoke novels about--in particular, he's made Dillon a U.S. marshal, as is correct. This is the first of West's novels I've read, and I will say that his characterization of Matt Dillon is much more reminiscent to me of the TV (and even the radio) series than the Gary McCarthy book I read. I can't say there were no technical goofs, because I don't know enough of the ticky-tacky details of Gunsmoke's TV run to judge. However, I have been enjoying them on TVLand, and reading this book made me feel like I was watching a brand-new episode. The dialogue rang true, the actions felt in character, and it was just good to see Doc HOliday team up with Matt.

I will say this: if you lean more toward the radio series for your own Gunsmoke "canon," you might be a smidge disappointed. In an episode of the radio show, Matt did encounter Doc HOliday, and they had a very different relationship than the one they share in this book. I didn't mind this myself, because I figure the radio show is kind of an "alternate universe," since the character of Chester is so different from that of the TV series.

In short, if you like Gunsmoke, I think you'll love this book. I sure did. I look forward to reading the others in Joseph A. West's series.

I loved this book and read it in one night. Thats not surprising to anyone that knows me because I love Gunsmoke very much. I didnt like the fact that Mr. West refers to Matt Dillon as City Marshal I think it takes away from his character strength. And the fact Doc wasnt involved very much. I'm okay with the relationship Mr. West began with between Matt and Kitty because he had to start somewhere and explained it well in the first few chapters of the book. And all Gunsmoke fans completely understand and felt the love Matt and Kitty shared.

Yes, there are some inaccuracies, but these books are quite entertaining. I read the first three of Mr. West's books in two days, and enjoyed them. This is one man's interpretation of Gunsmoke, and just like any Gunsmoke fan, he writes according to his/her own slant and preferences. If you love Gunsmoke and would enjoy some new stories, these are fun.

I seldom read Westerns though I did a great deal when I was a kid. I stumbled across this book in WalMart and assumed it was the only Gunsmoke novel until I saw the #6 on the Amazon Page for Gunsmoke: The Day of the Gunfighter.

I did love the Gunsmoke TV show and it was fun to see Matt Dillon interacting with Festus, Doc Adams and Miss Kitty again. There are the expected gunfights, actully a lot of them with at least three super gunfighters and anotheer 17 geared to kill Matt or have another gunfighter turned over to them so they could kill him. There is an attempt to tie the fictional West in with the real West with mentions of an Officer Earp in Abilene, Bat Masterson whose cane is involved in the action and Doc Holliday who becomes an ally to Matt.

Ever present is a period of rain ranging from driving to flood stage until it turns to sleet and snow. Author Joseph West did do a good job of making this a film noir type of novel with the same mood sets that the great black and white films had in the forties.

I give this four stars not based on the novel, but on the foreward by James Arness himself. Arness talks about the show and about many who were involved during the 20 years it was on TV. There was, for me, some new information and this was the worth the price of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. If you read the first two books the errors and mistakes are still there. Example Matt Dillon a City Marshal. But please overlook that. The stories are still very exciting to read. And we all know the facts so sit back and enjoy the book. It's also good to see Doc back in the story. We all know Dodge wouldnt be Dodge without him. Festus is still very loyal to the Marshal and Kitty and Matt are still going strong and we continue to see that in this 3rd book.Plus I like the fact that all these stories are staying in and around Dodge. And this one has the winter theme to it and I like that because we didnt see alot of shows with the winter scene. Mr. West please continue entertaining us the these stories and I cant wait for May 2 2006 for your 4th book.

This was not the most detailed autobiography I've ever read, but that in itself seems to be very telling about the man. The book, like Matt Dillon and ultimately like James Arness, was short on words and didn't say anything unkind about anyone. We could use more Hollywood role models like this one!

What an interesting life James Arness has had. His account of his experience landing at Anzio in 1944 was the best account I've seen or heard because he was a private and first out expecting not to survive. His experiences during training and up to when he was wounded were so interesting. and his care afterword also. Being a lifelong Gunsmoke fan I found this book full of exciting, interesting facts and had to re-read it immediately as the first time I was up all night reading it and was tired and thought I might have missed some facts. The second reading was even better. Mr Arness's book could have been two or three times as long. I feel he could add lots more.
Maybe he'll write a sequel. I'd buy it in an instant.

As a longtime fan of James Arness, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've had a crush on him since I played with Barbie dolls and Silly Putty, and his book gave me the opportunity to learn more about this grateful, humble, private man. I would have enjoyed a little more about his Gunsmoke years, though. Especially since he's said to be such a cut-up and prankster. But his autobiography is filled with nice photos, fan letters and lots of special memories. I was also pleasantly surprised that he'd saved so many gifts and mementos sent to him by fans. It's gratifying to know that this big man--a hero to so many--is also very real and sentimental. I look forward to his next book.

Since the day the program debuted in 1955 through the next 20 years, I was a fan of Gunsmoke and tried never to miss an episode. Even today, if I can catch a rerun on cable, I always tune in. I consider it the best TV show ever. So, I was very interested in reading this autobiography of the actor who created Marshall Dillon. Unfortuantely, the book delivers in only a few areas. For a show that lasted a record 20 years, there are remarkably few anecdotes. It isn't until we get into Appendix A offering comments from actors on the show, that we realize why. James Arness was a loner. He didn't hang with the other actors. He came in, shot his scenes, then flew away. Further, he made it clear he wanted privacy and the other actors on the set respected that (or feared him) and stayed away. Appendix A, comments by regular actors on the show and crew, is roughly 25% of the book. It is followed by other appendices including comments by guest stars, fan letters, a filmography and an awards list, so we end up with a big chunk of the book containing self-serving material that added little except pages and flattering comments. The most interesting parts of the book describe Arness' life away from the set: his love of surfing, flying and his family. He only briefly touches on the two tragedies in his life: his divorce and his daughter's drug-induced death. Otherwise, it is all success and happiness. As he admits, he never went after anything, it all came to him. He had an almost picture perfect existance. There is one section of the book I would highly recommend, and that is his chapter on Anzio. It is extremely well written and transports the reader to a point where he feels he is there on the beach attacking with Jim. It is here where Jim is shot and the resulting injury got him back home and caused physical problems later in life. It was a fascinating interlude within an otherwise dull book. Now let me go see if Gunsmoke is on the tube anywhere.

I was given this book as a gift and like it. However, on 2/8/07 I discovered the "Museum Of The American West" (at Autry National Center, Los Angeles CA) has a website where you can Special Order this identical book --personally dedicated to you and signed by 'Matt Dillon' himself!-- for the same price ($39.95). Just go to their web page and type JAMES ARNESS in the search box. It'll lead you to the right page (listing is under 'Feature Items', not 'Books'), where you can enter your personalization info and pay online. Lacking an autograph, this book here ought to sell for less.