"Hell, I was there" book question

[Bent Ramrod]

All the signed Keith books I've seen say:

"To ________, with best wishes from the author
Elmer Keith"

Always the full name, plus appellation (Ph.D, etc.) and written directly on the flyleaf.

[alamogunr]

I guess the others are fakes!

[Bad Water Bill]

I guess the others are fakes!

Some signed copies may have been books that were purchased elsewhere and presented to Elmer for his signature at a meeting.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Funny! I have the Winchester book by Williamson too. Mine is not signed but that does not detract from its value to me. I must admit that I am unfamiliar with many of the cartridges he included in his book and I don't own examples of many others that I am somewhat familiar with. That doesn't keep me from enjoying the stories and loading information about them.

I am curious. Are all of the Legacy of Lever Guns bound in blue?

I believe they were, the one embossed with steer skulls etc., and in fact I doubt if there ever was more than one. I think it was more or less privately published by a local press, and people who do that always find that distribution is the problem, when a national publisher might have made a big thing of it. It really is a superb book, for Madis (a friend of Williamson's) is good for collectors, Harold F. Williamson (any relation?) wrote a first-class company history for Winchester, but "The Winchester Lever Legacy" is supreme as a well-researched user's manual. Maybe some people are deceived by his pencil drawings, western artifacts, folksy anecdotes, his cattle brand certificate, etc. I like them tremendously, and you can always skip over to about 600 good, practical pages.

I wish someone would turn a people finder website onto Clyde Williamson or his heirs, and remind them that they are sitting on a valuable copyright.

I've got a copy of Thurlow Craig's "A Rebel for a Horse", signed with a dedication to Mrs. and Tex Austin, the rodeo promoters who brought the rodeo to London, and through an unfortunate incident brought about Britain's main legislation on animal cruelty. I also have "The Dark Invader" signed by Captain von Rintelen, the saboteur of the US eastern seaboard in 1915, who became a personal friend of the British Admiral Hall, who lured him to arrest with a fake code message, and attended the wedding of Hall's daughter with eleven British admirals. The seller of that one didn't know what he had, but my wife, who is German, deciphered the script, and says if it is a fake, it was faked by a German hand.

[aephilli822]

Some signed copies may have been books that were purchased elsewhere and presented to Elmer for his signature at a meeting.

I also want to say I vaguely recall that at one time you could write to Elmer directly and purchase a book or mail yours to him and have him sign it. Up until the last couple years I think he would personally answer correspondence.

[alamogunr]

When Ballistics in Scotland mentioned the Harold F. Williamson book(Winchester, The Gun That Won the West), it struck a chord in my usually faulty memory. Sure enough, it was there. When I got it down, a bookmark indicated that I had only read about half. Will have to get back to it. As I leafed thru it, I remembered some of the things that I had read. It is amazing how many twists and turns there have been in company history. Winchester had a lot of changes of management/ownership. Recent changes are nothing new except for the attention to detail that the old timer's had. Hopefully, that will return in the near future for the modern Winchester, even if it is accomplished by automation.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The outstanding thing about Winchester is their continuity. It is amazing how many companies, like Sharps, Remington etc., have gone bankrupt with a good product, and been resurrected. Maybe it was because Winchester, for most of their history, were reluctant to stake much on the high investment and uncertainty of military contracts.

Winchester came into being, as the New Haven Arms Company when Oliver Winchester bought the remains of the Volcanic Arms Company from Smith and Wesson. Although a major shareholder he had probably helped engineer the failure. But as part of the deal he got the rights to an extremely good toggle-joint breech which had formed part of the impractical Volcanic, the services of Tyler Henry, and the right to use future Smith and Wesson developments. When that turned into the .22 Short, the company virtually doubled up everything to make the .44 Henry Rimfire and its rifle.

Similarly, and perhaps more virtuously,, Frank Kenna bought the carcass of Marlin at a sheriff's sale, for little more than responsibility for its mortgage. He nursed it through the Depression by hardship, scaling down, diversification, cunning sales gimmicks - everything, in fact except asking his investors for more money.

[aephilli822]

I'm guessing still no PDF available for "Hell, I Was There!"?

(thread necromancy? beh)

[PBlover429]

All of Keith's books are in the "Public Domain" as the copyrights were not renewed.

[aephilli822]

All of Keith's books are in the "Public Domain" as the copyrights were not renewed.

Great! Point me to 'em!

[aephilli822]

everything i find says removed because of copyright

[abunaitoo]

I rather read a real book, than the ebook.
Tried an ebook once. Just wasn't the same.
But I see books, and magazines, becoming obsolete in the future.
I have a few books that have gone way up in price since I got them.
Skeeter's books and magazines, Unintended Consequences (best book I've ever read), Also have a copy of "Audie Murphy: All American" that has gone up over 100 times what I paid for it.
Seems this generation is so brain washed by technology, things like books and magazines will soon be for collectors only.
SAD!!!!!!!!

[KCSO]

Amazon Fire E book way cheaper if you just want to read it. I bought my copy for $19.95 new.

[root]

Picked up a copy last week 50 bux shipped a 1979 1st print.

Not a bad price for a book.

I have some rather expensive gun gooks .

Rich

[dave524]

Have a hardcover copy I bought at a gun show book vendors back in the 90's, amazing stories and photos, years later the man could recall events as if they happened yesterday.