Cowboys, Mountain Men and Grizzly Bears by Matthew P. Mayo
Right there in new releases, ensconced innocently between dozens of hardbound political pundits and 75 copies of I Am Ozzie, was Matthew P. Mayo, a name I knew from western fiction. That Cowboys, Mountain Men & Grizzly Bears, the author’s remarkable collection of nail biting historic narratives was so prominently placed in a small Osage Beach, Missouri book store says a lot about the professional distribution of his publisher Globe Pequot, a lot about the quality of the book store, and most of all, a lot about the author’s talent. Serving up fast bite sized anecdotes of pulse pounding history, Mayo gives us the equivalent of salted peanuts (try and eat just one), but packed with ten times more nutrition. It’s the kind of book that will have you loitering around the display like a kid at the comic book spinner.
Cowboys, Mountain Men & Grizzly Bears is the perfect gift book, a handy reference, and an enjoyable read. When I saw the copy in Osage Beach, I was already at the checkout with an armload, and I vowed to return. The next day it was sold out so I picked it up the Kindle edition from Amazon with one click.
Western fans will find plenty of familiar stories, but Mayo’s style shines new light on old details and his selection of slightly more obscure tidbits raises the level of anticipation with each page. The legends are here: John Wesley Hardin, Wild Bill Hickok, Belle Starr and others), but so are lesser known trailblazers (John Colter), homesteaders (Henry and Naomi Sager) and hired guns (Diamondfield Jack Davis). Put together chronologically, the work forms a narrative of sorts as you see raw, visceral danger first arising from the wilderness and later, more often, from a character’s fellow man (or woman).
I’m happy to recommend the book and add that Mayo, a Spur Award finalist for his story “Half a Pig,” has agreed to a two part conversation tomorrow (Tuesday) at Meridian Bridge. Get yourself a hot cup of mud, pull up a sycamore log, and we’ll ask this talented fellar to spin us an additional yarn or two.
on March 22, 2010 at 11:14 am
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Yikes! This is why I never go camping.
on March 22, 2010 at 11:55 am
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Rich – I’m loving this book too. Matt did a great job with the research. Some of the stories are so harrowing that I can’t bear to read them almost. But I do!