author
Ned Buntline
1822–1886
A restless 19th-century journalist and storyteller, he helped shape the fast-moving world of American popular fiction. Writing as Ned Buntline, Edward Zane Carroll Judson became famous for sensational adventures and for promoting frontier legends including Buffalo Bill.
1 Audiobook
Wild Bill's Last Trail
by Ned Buntline
About the author
Born Edward Zane Carroll Judson, he wrote under the pen name Ned Buntline and built a reputation as a publisher, journalist, and prolific author of sensational stories. Sources agree that he was active in the booming world of cheap, mass-market fiction, where action, scandal, and larger-than-life characters helped win a wide readership.
His life was almost as dramatic as his books. Britannica notes that he founded short-lived magazines and newspapers, and his name became linked with publicity, controversy, and showmanship as much as with writing itself. He is also remembered for helping popularize Buffalo Bill in print and on stage, giving a major boost to one of the most enduring legends of the American West.
The dates attached to him vary a little by source, but library and reference records place his life in the 1820s to 1886. However the exact birth year is listed, his legacy is clear: he was one of the colorful figures who helped turn frontier adventure into mass entertainment.