Best of the West 2019: Western Books

Best of the West 2019: Western Books

A I write this column from my desk in my office in Iowa City, Iowa, in October 2018, reflecting on the past, present and future state of Western history and fiction publishing, I recall where I was 25 years ago. I was newly engaged to be married, a third-year graduate...
The Man Who Redeemed The Hamer Name

The Man Who Redeemed The Hamer Name

The story of The Highwaymen, the new Depression-era Western from Netflix, has been a thirty-year obsession for author John Fusco.  “Those old photos of Barrow and Parker, leaning on their stolen 1932 Ford V8 Sedan, downright haunted me.” His investigation revealed...
Cochise, Cowboys and Cavalry

Cochise, Cowboys and Cavalry

The first thing you notice about Willcox, Arizona, is the wine. Wineries. Wine-tasting rooms. Wine festivals. Wine has practically taken over this old cowtown. Those wine festivals can bring in 3,000 people—almost doubling the town’s population. But what would late...