Joseph G. Rosa
Joseph G. Rosa was a writer of Western history, notable for his many publications about Wild Bill Hickok. Rosa's book, They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok, was published in 1964 and is considered to be the first authentic biography of Wild Bill Hickok, and was accepted by historians as the definitive work on the subject.
Family
Joseph G. Rosa was born November 20, 1932, in West London, England and grew up in Woodville Gardens, Ruislip, Middlesex. From an early age, Rosa loved movies, and especially Westerns, a passion that he shared with his father.Career
Joseph G. Rosa's first job was as a copywriter for a firm that printed postage stamps and bank notes for the United Kingdom. He served in the Royal Air Force Signals, stationed in the United Kingdom and in Malta during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Rosa spent much of his career working in the communications industry, retiring in 1999. Throughout his over 50-year career as an historian, researcher and author, he compiled over 25 books and many articles for historic publications. He was wary of glamorization. Joseph died at age 82 on January 17, 2015, in Ruislip, England.Opinion on personalities of The American Old West in print
Rosa stated "that a biography of a character like Jim Miller or John Wesley Hardin is justified on reputation and a list of killings. I don't agree. People like Hickok, Masterson or Tilghman and to some extent, perhaps, Earp in some way contributed toward the expansion of the United States, whereas the Hardins, Jesse Jameses retarded things."Publications
Some shooting, Mr. Hickok! - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1958They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1964Alias Jack McCall, a pardon or death?: An account of the trial, petition for a Presidential pardon, and execution of John McCall for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok - By Joseph G. Rosa; Westerners, 1967The Gunfighter: Man or Myth? - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1969Wild Bill Hickok, Peacemaker - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1973The Pleasure of Guns: The Intricate and Beautiful Work of Famous Gunsmiths - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1974They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok, 1974 Colonel Colt, London: The History of Colt's London Firearms, 1851-1857 - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1976An Illustrated History of Guns and Small Arms - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1976- Gun Law: A Study of Violence in the Wild West - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1977Gunsmoke: A Study of Violence in the Wild West - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1977J.B. Hickok, Deputy U.S. Marshal - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1979The West of Wild Bill Hickok - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1982An Illustrated History of Guns and Small Arms - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1984Guns of the American West - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1985Colt revolvers and the Tower of London - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1988Rowdy Joe Lowe: Gambler With a Gun - By Joseph G. Rosa; Waldo E Koop, 1989Buffalo Bill and His Wild West: A Pictorial Biography - By Joseph G. Rosa; Robin May, 1989Wild Bill - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1992The Taming of the West: Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons on the Frontier, 1840-1900 - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1993Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons on the Frontier, 1840-1900 - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1995Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and his Myth - By Joseph G. Rosa, 1996Jack McCall, Assassin: An Updated Account of his Yankton Trial, Plea for clemency, and Execution - By Joseph G. Rosa; English Westerners Society, 1999Wild Bill Hickok, Gunfighter: An Account of Hickok's Gunfights - By Joseph G. Rosa, 2003Wild Bill Hickok: Sharpshooter and U.S. Marshal of the wild West - By Joseph G. Rosa, 2004Wild Bill Hickok, Gunfighter: An Account of Hickok's Gunfights - By Joseph G. Rosa, 2013