Crockett: The Real-Life Adventures of the Frontier Legend

by Buddy Levy

Overview

You may know the name Davy Crockett as the coonskin-cap-wearing frontiersman who heroically sacrificed himself at the Battle of the Alamo, but Buddy Levy paints an even deeper portrait of the man behind the myth.

From a humble childhood and meager education, the legendary adventurer David Crockett led a distinguished life, winning three elections as a congressman and earning a presidential nomination. Bestselling author Buddy Levy reveals the fascinating truth of Crockett, beyond the newspaper spins and folkloric celebrity status, as a figure that both embraced and clashed with the identity of the American Old West.

He was charismatic, down-to-earth, pioneering, independent to a fault, and his adventures have been warped beyond recognition by Hollywood hype. But in this beautifully written narrative, Davy Crockett emerges as never before: a rugged individual, a true American original, and an enduring symbol of the Western frontier.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798895150092
Publisher:	Diversion Publishing
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	91,348
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Buddy Levy is the author of seven books, and his work has been featured or reviewed in The New York Times, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Daily Beast, and The A.V. Club. He was the co-star, for 25 episodes from 2010-2012, on HISTORY Channel’s hit docuseries Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, which aired to an average of 1.7 million weekly viewers and is still airing as reruns today. In 2018 he was an on-camera expert on the 4-part TV Series The Frontiersmen: The Men Who Built America (HISTORY, Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio).

Levy was a contributing writer on the 2018 documentary film The Weight of Water, based in part on the book No Barriers, which Levy co-authored with blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Crockett:

“Levy offers more in the way of background and complexity, and is willing to expose some of Crockett's deficiencies without making judgments. . . [and] despite his faults, readers will find Crockett likable and talented.”
– Publishers Weekly

“In this meticulously researched book, Levy chronicles Crockett's remarkable rise to fame. . . . As Levy has it, Crockett transcended the facts of his life to become an enduring symbol of possibility, remembered not for his deeds or his greatness, but for the tenacity of his spirit.”
– Booklist

“Buddy Levy’s Crockett proves that history can be as spellbinding and dramatic as any novel and as compelling as any reportage. His account of the life and deeds of Davy Crockett rockets from a young man’s travels in the new republic to a living legend’s heroic last days at the Alamo. Along the way, we meet other giants in that era of the common man and the Old West—Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie—and Levy brings every one of them to life again. This is can’t-put-it-down storytelling at its best.”
– Peter Hoffer, Distinguished Research Professor of History, The University of Georgia

“A great myth-busting story, written in a taut narrative style that is guaranteed to keep the reader up all hours turning the pages. Painstakingly researched, with an eye toward nuance and the telling vignette, this crackling piece of work presents Davy Crockett as a man of genius and folly, which has the unlikely effect of making him all the more heroic.”
– Martin Dugard, coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Killing Lincoln (with Bill O’Reilly) and author of The Last Voyage of Columbus and Into Africa: The Epic Adventure of Stanley and Livingstone

“In a lively mix of clean prose and Crockett’s own words, Buddy Levy’s Crockett provides a rare look beneath the fabric of legend to the man underneath. This is the frontiersman turned statesman, who keeps his eye on the rights of Indians and the common man, but loses sight of himself in the myth he has helped create. Three cheers for Buddy Levy, who makes history into a real page-turner—a fascinating read.”
– Claire Davis, author of Season of the Snake

From the Publisher

In this meticulously researched book, Levy chronicles Crockett's remarkable rise to fame. . . . As Levy has it, Crockett transcended the facts of his life to become an enduring symbol of possibility, remembered not for his deeds or his greatness, but for the tenacity of his spirit.

Booklist

In a lively mix of clean prose and Crockett’s own words, Buddy Levy’s Crockett provides a rare look beneath the fabric of legend to the man underneath. This is the frontiersman turned statesman, who keeps his eye on the rights of Indians and the common man, but loses sight of himself in the myth he has helped create. Three cheers for Buddy Levy, who makes history into a real page-turner—a fascinating read.

Claire Davis

Buddy Levy’s Crockett proves that history can be as spellbinding and dramatic as any novel and as compelling as any reportage. His account of the life and deeds of Davy Crockett rockets from a young man’s travels in the new republic to a living legend’s heroic last days at the Alamo. Along the way, we meet other giants in that era of the common man and the Old West—Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie—and Levy brings every one of them to life again. This is can’t-put-it-down storytelling at its best.

Peter Hoffer

A great myth-busting story, written in a taut narrative style that is guaranteed to keep the reader up all hours turning the pages. Painstakingly researched, with an eye toward nuance and the telling vignette, this crackling piece of work presents Davy Crockett as a man of genius and folly, which has the unlikely effect of making him all the more heroic.

Martin Dugard