Palaces on the Prairie seeks to shed light on a little-known chapter in the history of the Great Plains

John M. Burke (1842–1917) played an essential role in turning William Frederick Cody into the classic character of "Buffalo Bill." With this biography, published in 1893, Burke refined the legend that continues today. Burke attempted to present the story of William F. Cody from the wild Western scenes of Kansas and Nebraska. And from the prairies of the Platte to the parlors of the East and the palaces of Europe. Burke claimed to give a candid account of Buffalo Bill's life. Hostile Indians, gunfights, cattle stampedes; Cody's Wild West was full of danger at every turn. Burke's portrayal of Buffalo Bill as a pioneer and hero is an honor to the romance of the Wild West and a canonical volume in the American story which is a brilliant example of mythmaking. The book gives insight into how things were back then, and it also makes the reader familiar with the beginnings of American Nationhood.

A celebration of corn palaces, crop art, and butter sculpture from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

In 1893, John M. Burke wrote a biography of Gen. William F. Cody (see photo at right) titled, Buffalo Bill from Prairie to Palace. The book wasn?t the first or last biography of the famous cowboy-turned-showman, but it was the first book-length biography written by a public relations practitioner. Burke was Cody?s promotions manager and press agent (see picture on page 6). Although historians credit Burke with turning Cody into the legendary ?Buffalo Bill,? the book Burke wrote has often been ignored or overlooked by historians of the ?Wild West.? In fact, Public Relations Scholar Jason Berger has found that only one of four major biographies about Cody cites Burke?s book.Dr. Berger speculates that Burke?s book has been overlooked partly because the original has not been widely available. Indeed, a survey of major public libraries in the United States has found that only a handful have a copy, and many of those copies are too fragile for public use.This reprint, which also includes two news stories published about the Wild West show in 1895, is offered to help remedy that shortage. In the ?Introduction,? Dr. Berger points out that Burke?although controversial and often accused of distorting facts?was a genius when it came to marketing and public relations. As such, this book is useful not just to historians, but also to public relations practitioners and student of popular culture, who are still trying to understand the ?Buffalo Bill phenomenon? and its impact on field of public relations. (Cover and back page photographs courtesy of the online repository at the Library of Congress.)

The noted English actor recounts his travels to some big American theatre towns with his theatre company and co-star Ellen Terry.