About the author
Author Nancy Schaut and her husband Jim (a photographer) have been writing about antiques and collectibles, especially old cars and automotive memorabilia, since 1978. Hundreds of their articles have been published in collector-oriented magazines. The Schauts cover the Cowboy and Native American art scene, and have profiled talented artists and craftspersons. Nancy enjoys writing about historic travel locations in the American West and is currently working on a series of stories about the history behind our Western tourist railroads.
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Books by
Jim and Nancy Schaut
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Collecting the Old West
Horsin' Around: A Guide to Equine Memorabilia
American Automobilia: An Illustrated History and Price Guide
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~ COLLECTING WESTERN BOOKS ~
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Buck Jones
Western Annual, 1957,
English, $25
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Books are the most widely collected form of Western memorabilia. It seems that everyone with the least bit of interest in the West loves to read about it. From the earliest pulp fiction to first person accounts of traveling West, it is all good reading. You can never have too many books, especially books about the West. Once you have read one Tony Hillerman novel, then you just have to have one more, and another and another. Pretty soon, you have got a good collection going, and you start to read books by other modern Western writers. Then, you come across an old Zane Grey book that you remember reading as a kid. Soon, you are trying to assemble a complete set of all the Grey books. Next thing you know, you're a collector. You spend all your time either reading your books, looking for new acquisitions or building bookshelves to make room for more books.
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Grace Harlowe's
Overland Riders on
Lost River Trail, $20.00
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Actually, books were the first thing Westerners collected. As early as the 1880's, folks were starting to realize that the West was changing. A few farsighted individuals began writing their recollections and interviewing other pioneers in an effort to accurately record history before it was too late. We owe a great debt to folks like Sharlot Hall, who was collecting Arizona history while we were still a territory and Alice Polk Hill who wrote Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story in 1915. In her book, she gives credit to even earlier books that were helpful in her research.
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A Taste of Texas,
Jane Trahey, Ed., $25.00
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Some of the most collectible nonfiction was never on anybody's best seller list. These are the small press, and self published books that are specific to a certain town, county, state or territory. This is also true with cookbooks. A Taste of Texas has been reprinted numerous times and sells for around $15.00. An early edition will bring $25.00 or more in the Lone Star State. One of the most collectible non-fiction books among Western collectors is Old West Antiques and Collectibles, an illustrated price guide, published in 1979 by Great American Publishing Company. If you can find a copy for less than a hundred dollars, you have found a bargain.
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Western Sheriffs
and Marshals,
Penfield, $35
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In Western literature, the line between fact and fiction is often blurred. Even diaries and biographies are suspect, as most folks don't like to admit their failings. Early storytellers embellished their stories to promote sales, and didn't often bother with the facts. Lawmen became smarter, braver and more handsome with each new story, outlaws robbed the rich and gave to the poor, and every "fallen woman" had a heart of gold. Sales weren't hurt any by this stretching of the truth and more than one young man or woman headed West after reading these glamorized accounts.
Western enthusiasts still love a good story. Sophisticated readers today appreciate the modern writers' devotion to accurate historical facts. The novels of Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour are still avidly collected. They were produced in such huge quantities, and reprinted so many times, that they are still reasonable in price. You can't beat a good read that can be purchased at yard sales for less than a dollar. Today, Tony Hillerman enjoys a huge following with his mysteries set in the Navajo nation. Collectors relish his books so much that they are willing to pay a premium for a first edition. For more on modern Western authors, visit American Western Magazine's Western Writers index.
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Roy Bean,
Law West of
the Pecos,
Sonnichsen, $25
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Collectors of Western American literature are scattered all over the globe. The internet has given them the opportunity to get together to chat about their interests, and to buy or sell new books via the online auctions.
Don't forget to search the various sites that offer ebooks for Western lore and legends. They are, after all, the wave of the future.
Other Suggested reading
Copyright © 2000 Nancy Schaut. All rights reserved
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