Western Biography

Kit Carson (1809-1868) has long held a prominent place in the popular imagination of the American West. However, little is known about his family life, thanks largely to Carson's own guardianship of his privacy. After almost four decades devoted to researching Kit Carson's personal life, Marc Simmons provides information here to further our understanding of Carson.

Who was Socrates, and why do scholars still look up to him until this day? This man hasn't been around for hundreds of years, and yet, he is still very much alive in books. Modern-day arguments are based on his words. His teachings remain true despite the changes in technology and beliefs. If you're curious, listen to this book and get to know the man named Socrates!

Lacing his vivid narration with poetic interludes, Doig masterfully crafts a remarkable memoir. This House of Sky speaks many truths about family, love, loss, and the landscapes that mold us all.

Charisma, machismo, sex appeal and a huge on-screen persona: John Wayne had it all. From his humble early roles on the silver screen when talkies began to oust the silent movie to his Oscar-winning performance in True Grit, Duke would star in 142 leading roles. From Western hero to Hollywood legend, this publication follows the career of one of history's most celebrated actors.

The era of the gunfighter in the Wild West began during James Butler Hickok's life. Better known as "Wild Bill," he was the first and most famous gunfighter. A man without equal, he was said to have killed hundreds of outlaws in valiant and bloody struggles to the death, from which he invariably emerged the victor and the hero. Hickok himself was not above adding embellishments to the stories about himself to any reporter who sought him out.

Mungo Park was an explorer of the real kind. In 1795, only aged 24, he left Gambia for the uncharted interior of Africa, in a journey that would be filled with tragedy, heroism, and adventure. Park was the first European to ever reach the river Niger and the legendary city of Timbuctoo, thus resolving, once and for all, a century-old geographic debate. He travelled with local guides and later entirely alone, through warring kingdoms, robberies, imprisonment, and extreme duress. By the time he returned to Gambia, he had long been given up for dead.

A North African woman’s autobiography (Arab, Berber, Moslem), starting in the western desert of the Arab world and ending up in the West; scattered memories in 12 chapters. This is the first collection of life memories that have marked my life. You are sure to relate to, or even find yourself or someone you know, in at least one of these scattered memories. The perfect gift for anyone interested in the life of an Arab woman.

Well, Jay. Last summer your mother asked me to write some of my memories of childhood. Here they are. Some are pure memories, some have been told to me, and some are simply my childhood daydreams. Some of the experiences made profound impressions on my memory and influenced my values as an adult. Others simply produce a smile over a pleasant memory. I hope they will do the same for you and others who listen to them. Your mother and grandmother read these after they were written and made some comments.

Many of the first artists in the West were assigned to exploration and geological parties, working as archivists and obedient to demands of cold accuracy. However, a few were driven by an imaginative mix of real events and fantastical visions to whet the appetite of Eastern consumers and preserve their own nostalgia on canvas. Among the most prominent artists depicting the "old" West was Charles Marion Russell, a prolific painter, sculptor, writer, and storyteller based in the heart of the Montana country.

Jim Bridger was a famous frontiersman in the Rockies whose legacy extended beyond the wilderness he explored. The legends of his life inspired countless Western stories, this one included.

Here is a tale that concerns the incredible power of friendship. The movie Tennessee's Partner (1955), starring John Payne and Ronald Reagan, was based on this story.