--- product_id: 603607227 title: "Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past" price: "€ 1.32" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past **Price:** € 1.32 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past - **How much does it cost?** € 1.32 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "A must-listen for fans of the beloved game."— Den of Geek This program is read by Roger Clark, the iconic and award-winning full performance-capture actor of Red Dead Redemption 2 's Arthur Morgan, who returns to the wildly dramatic and gritty world of the American frontier in this audiobook edition of Red Dead's History . It also features a prologue and epilogue read by the author. A pathbreaking new way to examine US history, through the lens of a bestselling video game Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II , set in 1911 and 1899, are the most-played American history video games since The Oregon Trail . Beloved by millions, they’ve been widely acclaimed for their realism and attention to detail. But how do they fare as re-creations of history? In this engaging audiobook, award-winning American history professor Tore Olsson takes up that question and more. Weaving the games’ plots and characters into an exploration of American violence between 1870 and 1920, Olsson shows that it was more often disputes over capitalism and race, not just poker games and bank robberies, that fueled the bloodshed of these turbulent years. As such, this era has much to teach us today. From the West to the Deep South to Appalachia, Olsson reveals the gritty and brutal world that inspired the games, but sometimes lacks context and complexity on the digital screen. Colorful, fast-paced, and dramatic, Red Dead’s History sheds light on dark corners of the American past for gamers and history buffs alike. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press. Review: A brilliant piece from a great Historian - I am a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption, and I love how the author actually used the series as a focal point for one of his classes that eventually became this book. It’s a great comparison of how accurate Red Dead was in trying to capture the essence of the industrial age of America! A great read for fans of the series. I recommend playing Red Dead Redemption 2 before reading. Review: Just when I thought I couldn't love the RDR series more... - For context, I have played through 'Red Dead Redemption' twice and 'RDR 2' upwards of 5 times. I have obtained the platinum trophies (I play on PlayStation) for both games. Anyone who's played the games, and is familiar with trophy/achievement hunting, knows how big a task that is. 100% completing these games can easily take over 100 hours each using a guide, and plenty more without. Collectively, including my time playing for sheer enjoyment rather than trophies, I have played the 'Red Dead' series for at least 1000 hours. So, before I got my hands on this book, I felt there was nothing left to excite me about the series, other than the quality of the game itself. I've researched most, if not all of the lore. I've found all the treasure and chance encounters with NPCs. I've played with and without cheats activated. I've even experimented with glitches and such. I thought I was done. Then, I caught wind of the existence of Prof. Olsson's book. I ordered it the same day I heard about it. After reading the preface, I was a bit concerned that this book would shoot holes (pun intended) in the old-west fantasy these games have helped create in my mind. A fantasy that I cherish and that, in some ways, have changed me for the better as a person. I didn't want that ruined with hard-to-digest facts about what life was actually like in, and around, the years that the games take place. I was happy in my ignorance, or so I thought. To my surprise (and relief), with each chapter I read, I actually found myself feeling more excited for yet another playthrough of the games, as I gradually began to realize that I would now better understand the references, inspirations and situational relevance. Instead of destroying my Red Dead-born fantasy of the old west, this book actually helps to guide and clarify it. As a Black-American man who is painfully aware that my actual experience in the time period of these games would have been vastly different from my fantasies, I find it helpful to have a better understanding of to what extent, as explained in chapter 8. As a player who did enjoy the later chapters of RDR2 involving the characters Rains Fall and Eagle Flies, I admittedly did not quite understand the significance of those missions beyond my own, very surface-level knowledge of the actual 'Indian Wars'. Now, thanks to this book, those missions will have the impact on me that I believe the game's developers intended. These are just two examples of how thoroughly (yet palatably) 'Red Dead's History' covers and explains the contents of the games. Since reading this book, I've been "Mr. Did-You-Know?" to my poor wife, who is also a gamer, but has yet to play the RDR series. I sense her interest is growing, though, after seeing my rekindled excitement for the games after reading this book. I highly recommend 'Read Dead's History' to anyone with even a modicum of interest in the history of the United States, but I even more highly recommend it to fans of the game who, like most of us, wish we could play the game for the first time again. Reading this book and then re-playing the games with the knowledge the book provides is as close as we're going to get until RDR 3 is hopefully released at some point in the future. A massive thank you to Prof. Tore C. Olsson for this work. I very much envy the lucky students who got to take your college course on the subject. ## Images ![Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Ax5hOqR+L.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A brilliant piece from a great Historian *by L***S on June 10, 2026* I am a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption, and I love how the author actually used the series as a focal point for one of his classes that eventually became this book. It’s a great comparison of how accurate Red Dead was in trying to capture the essence of the industrial age of America! A great read for fans of the series. I recommend playing Red Dead Redemption 2 before reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just when I thought I couldn't love the RDR series more... *by S***A on September 8, 2024* For context, I have played through 'Red Dead Redemption' twice and 'RDR 2' upwards of 5 times. I have obtained the platinum trophies (I play on PlayStation) for both games. Anyone who's played the games, and is familiar with trophy/achievement hunting, knows how big a task that is. 100% completing these games can easily take over 100 hours each using a guide, and plenty more without. Collectively, including my time playing for sheer enjoyment rather than trophies, I have played the 'Red Dead' series for at least 1000 hours. So, before I got my hands on this book, I felt there was nothing left to excite me about the series, other than the quality of the game itself. I've researched most, if not all of the lore. I've found all the treasure and chance encounters with NPCs. I've played with and without cheats activated. I've even experimented with glitches and such. I thought I was done. Then, I caught wind of the existence of Prof. Olsson's book. I ordered it the same day I heard about it. After reading the preface, I was a bit concerned that this book would shoot holes (pun intended) in the old-west fantasy these games have helped create in my mind. A fantasy that I cherish and that, in some ways, have changed me for the better as a person. I didn't want that ruined with hard-to-digest facts about what life was actually like in, and around, the years that the games take place. I was happy in my ignorance, or so I thought. To my surprise (and relief), with each chapter I read, I actually found myself feeling more excited for yet another playthrough of the games, as I gradually began to realize that I would now better understand the references, inspirations and situational relevance. Instead of destroying my Red Dead-born fantasy of the old west, this book actually helps to guide and clarify it. As a Black-American man who is painfully aware that my actual experience in the time period of these games would have been vastly different from my fantasies, I find it helpful to have a better understanding of to what extent, as explained in chapter 8. As a player who did enjoy the later chapters of RDR2 involving the characters Rains Fall and Eagle Flies, I admittedly did not quite understand the significance of those missions beyond my own, very surface-level knowledge of the actual 'Indian Wars'. Now, thanks to this book, those missions will have the impact on me that I believe the game's developers intended. These are just two examples of how thoroughly (yet palatably) 'Red Dead's History' covers and explains the contents of the games. Since reading this book, I've been "Mr. Did-You-Know?" to my poor wife, who is also a gamer, but has yet to play the RDR series. I sense her interest is growing, though, after seeing my rekindled excitement for the games after reading this book. I highly recommend 'Read Dead's History' to anyone with even a modicum of interest in the history of the United States, but I even more highly recommend it to fans of the game who, like most of us, wish we could play the game for the first time again. Reading this book and then re-playing the games with the knowledge the book provides is as close as we're going to get until RDR 3 is hopefully released at some point in the future. A massive thank you to Prof. Tore C. Olsson for this work. I very much envy the lucky students who got to take your college course on the subject. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unmissable companion to the game *by A***T on September 20, 2024* Once in a while, a piece of art is so great that it warrants a book to further explore the richness of the work, to make the implicit more explicit. Red Dead Redemption 2 might be the first video game that warrants such a book and it got the high-quality book that it deserves. The book is refreshing and provides interesting insights without ever being condescending to the game and with loving understanding why some choices have been made. The book is also accessible, has a fast pace and is a great start for every person that wants to learn more on the history of this era after playing the game. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-09-07*