“A marvelous dual biography of the most famous outlaws of their time. Even though the Kid hailed from New Mexico and Kelly from Australia, Utley ably draws distinctive parallels between their lives. A classic study for the ages.”—Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

“Robert M. Utley displays the gifts that have made him a storied interpreter of the nineteenth-century west. With all the crackling drama that defined Billy and Ned’s action-packed lives, he deftly illuminates each man’s character and sets his life against the background of wider conflicts over money, power, and race. Utley shows how each was, in his own violent way, extraordinary.”—T. J. Stiles, author of The First Tycoon, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

“Brilliant idea! Billy the Kid and Ned Kelly didn’t have a lot in common, but together they make one helluva book. What makes this ‘comparison test’ fascinating is that the author gives you the facts and leaves you to decide for yourself. I’m still working on it.”— Frederick Nolan, author of The West of Billy the Kid

“Any book by the dean of western narrative historians is cause for celebration. Such is the case here. No one has written a book comparing one of the western demigods with a comparable legendary character from another culture. The achievement is one of a kind.”—Richard W. Etulain, author of The Life and Legends of Calamity Jane

“Can a people be defined by the iconic outlaws they embrace? Historian Robert M. Utley tackles that question and many others in this enlightening comparison of the two most famous bad boys produced by the former British colonies of the United States and Australia. Utley, as usual, brings the past to life with graceful prose and powerful insights.”—Paul Andrew Hutton, Distinguished Professor, University of New Mexico

“Outlaws or heroes, Billy the Kid and Ned Kelly have become immortal in their respective countries' folklore. Utley does an admirable job of describing how two young men, at odds with the authorities, could rise to such renown after their deaths.”—Glen Seeber, Oklahoman

“Anyone who wants to broaden their view of history will want to read this book of comparative biographies of one of America’s prominent historians.”—David Steinberg, Sunday Journal