--- product_id: 603607227 title: "Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past" price: "VT492" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past **Price:** VT492 **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?** VT492 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/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 desertcart.com: Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past (Audible Audio Edition): Tore C. Olsson, Roger Clark, Macmillan Audio: Books 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. Review: Educational and entertaining! - I came for the narration by Arthur Morgan (Rodger Clark) but stayed for the deep discussion on American history in the 1800s. ## 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) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Educational and entertaining! *by S***. on October 10, 2025* I came for the narration by Arthur Morgan (Rodger Clark) but stayed for the deep discussion on American history in the 1800s. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ For History Nerds and Gamers Alike *by G***D on February 24, 2026* I got this for my step dad. He loves history, and I love Red Dead. He did actually read it and now we have more to talk about. --- ## 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.vu/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/603607227-red-deads-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-americas) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-06*