List of works about Billy the Kid

Hundreds of songs, books, motion pictures, radio and television programs, and plays have been inspired by the story of the outlaw Billy the Kid.

[1] Depictions of him in popular culture have fluctuated between a cold-blooded murderer without a heart and a sentimental hero fighting for justice.

[2] The Texas historian, J. Frank Dobie, wrote many years ago in A Vaquero of the Brush Country (1929): "...Billy the Kid will always be interesting, will always appeal to the popular imagination".

[3] While a plethora of writers and filmmakers have depicted Billy the Kid as the personification of either heroic youth or juvenile punk,[4] a few have attempted to portray a more complex character.

[5] In any case, the dramatic aspects of his short life and violent death still appeal to popular taste,[6] and he remains an icon of teenage rebellion and nonconformity.