Trails Plowed Under: Authentic Stories of the Old West | Historical Frontier Tales for Book Lovers & Western Enthusiasts

If you know who Charlie Russell is, you probably don't need to read this to know that this book is one of the most fascinating sources of first-hand information about America's Old Wild West. It's not a history book, and it's not about people you would have heard of. This is a collection of stories Charlie has either told or heard from others and retold. Accompanied by about 5 color plates and several drawings, it is worth the price for the artwork alone. Try to get one with the dustcover intact. Top it off with a foreword by Will Rogers, and you have one of the best books ever published on the subject. The language is in the vernacular of old Montana, and the stories are told as if he was standing in front of a campfire talking to friends -- something Russell did a lot of, and something for which his friends, like Rogers, missed him greatly when he passed.Russell was one of the great painters of the old West, and many of his works fetched record-breaking prices during his lifetime. Now they hang in museums all over the world, especially the Russell Museum in Great Falls and the Amon Carter in Fort Worth. Published in 1927 and originally sold for $5.95, it's a shame this book hasn't been reprinted for modern audiences. But the original old books, if they were cared for, look like they just popped out of the printer's press. The paper has aged well, and the binding is perfect. You can read this book easily without wrestling with the pages.Though the stories are usually short, you find them wedged into cowboy movies -- almost every cowboy movie ever made contains at least something from these pages. Here you sense the animosity between the white Americans who pushed the frontier ever-westward, and the Indians who resisted being forced out of their native hunting grounds, villages, and homes. But Russell never stoops to criticism of either race. He tells it like it was, and lets you put together the pieces. He admired Native Americans as the amazing people they were and still are, and portrayed them honestly and sympathetically. At the same time, they could be scary in battle, and in some of his tales the Indians (and the Cowboys, too) will raise the hair on the back of your neck.If you are a fan of the old West, this book is absolutely essential reading. One thing to watch out for: be sure to ask the seller to check and make sure the plates are intact. People used to buy this book, cut out the color plates, frame them, and hang them on the wall. It was a very cheap way to acquire 5 Charlie Russell paintings. Specify to the seller that you want the color plates intact, and that you will return the book if they are missing or damaged.Shooshie