AFTER THE GUNSMOKE

Montana, Sybil [De Kelly] (1935– )

Guns & Garters: Gunslingers & Outlaws Monthly Newspaper Columns [Signed Presentation Copy with Author Letter]

Huntsville, Alabama, Self-published, [circa 2008–2009].

LONG BEFORE GOOGLE, THE LEGENDS OF JESSE JAMES SURVIVED THROUGH COLLECTORS, CORRESPONDENCE, AND LOCAL HISTORIANS.
A signed presentation copy of an elusive, heavily illustrated compilation of Sybil Montana's Guns & Garters newspaper columns, bringing together seven years of research on Jesse James, the Younger Gang, frontier lawmen, and the people and places that preserved the history of the American frontier.

This copy is warmly inscribed by the author to Missouri collector Swede Carter and is accompanied by a signed one-page typed letter discussing the book, Younger family research, and the remaining copies available at the time. Also laid in is a page of the recipient's manuscript research notes relating to Jesse James and John Younger. Together, these accompanying materials provide appealing provenance while illustrating the active exchange of information among regional Western history collectors.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Large pictorial printed wraps. Quarto; 8.5 by 10.75 inches; 136 pages with index. Profusely illustrated throughout with black-and-white period photographs, portraits, cemetery views, historic sites, and documentary images.

CONDITION: Very Good. Wraps show mild handling and light soiling with a gentle curl to the lower front corner. Binding remains sound. Interior is clean and unmarked aside from the author's presentation inscription. Signed typed letter and one-page manuscript research notes laid in.

SCARCITY NOTE: Apparently issued in a small edition and seldom encountered in the antiquarian market. In the accompanying signed letter, dated 2009, the author notes, 'I have only 3 left and no more will be printed.' At the time of cataloging, no copies were located in ViaLibri, and institutional holdings appear limited, with an identified copy at Southern Methodist University's DeGolyer Library, an internationally recognized repository for Western Americana. While this alone does not establish rarity, it suggests the book received only limited distribution and is now uncommon in both institutional and commercial channels.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — Regional Voices Preserve Western Memory
  Rather than presenting a conventional history of famous outlaws, Guns & Garters captures the continuing tradition of regional Western history writing during the late twentieth century. Montana's newspaper columns combined local research, cemetery visits, family traditions, photographs, and correspondence with fellow enthusiasts, illustrating how much of today's understanding of frontier personalities has been preserved through dedicated independent historians working outside academic publishing.

SUBJECTS: Jesse James; James-Younger Gang; Virgil Earp; Old West; Missouri History; Frontier Lawmen; Western Folklore; Genealogy; Local History; Self-Published Americana, Western Americana, Regional History, Missouri History, Outlaw History.

Item #22147

Price: $110.00