REAL WEST

Subtitled: True Tales of the Western frontier, this magazine was published in May 1973. I'm not sure where I got it from but I came across it today while sorting sold old magazines in the loft. It was published by Charlton and cost 50c - it has a UK price stamped on the cover of 12p

There are some interesting articles within the covers - Did Custer Commit Suicide asks Greg Wenzel, George Hart tells us all about the day they shot Quantrill and the real west movie hall of fame subject is Fred Thomson. Add to that over a dozen other articles all old west related and it makes for great reading - even now not far off forty years after it first his the shops.

The letters page of old magazines can be great fun and this one is no exception - a rather serious missive comes from John Hope in which he talks about the 20 thousand Native Alaskans who are eligible for a share in the governments recent settlement of the Alaskan Natives Land Claims. He is warning eligible readers to register. Another letter asks for information on Pat Garrett. And there is an interesting question from T Desantis asking if a bounty hunter could make a living in the old west. The magazine answers that professional bounty hunters were few and far between and that someone trying to make their living that way would starve to death. And another reader wants to know which were the most numerous in the old west - the buffalo or passenger pigeon? The answer the magazine gives is that although the buffalo once numbered in millions, the pigeons numbered in billions. A report from the 1800's by naturist Alexander Wilson told of a flock so large they took four hours to pass and that the sound of wings flapping was like thunder. The magazine mentions that John Audubon visited a roost that was over forty miles long. The last passenger pigeon died in a zoo in 1914. The picture here shows a stuffed passenger pigeon.

Another feature I always find amusing in old magazines, particularly American ones, are the adverts - this mag is selling what it calls a Genuine Diamond (in looks only) ring for 50c. Apparently it's good enough to fool the experts. And for $3.95 you can buy an old west lawman badge - man, I want one of those. And how about a 8mm picture projector for only $6.98 - non DVD quality and your pics projected onto the nearest wall. The issue is in great condition having been stored in a magazine bag since I picked it up a few years ago.

And speaking of secondhand goodies - pictured below is my latest haul from my used book store. The Dirty Harry titles I picked up because I collect anything Eastwood - The Enforcer is a novelisation of the movie but Dirty Harry: Duel for Cannons is an original Dirty Harry novel by Dane Hartman, which was a pen name for Rik Myers. The book seems like it'll be fun as it features Harry Callahan out West - Harry goes from the mean streets of San Francisco to the blazing byways of San Antonio, screams the blurb. The book was published in 1981 by New English Library under licence from Warner Books. Both the Adam Steele and Sudden Books were picked up because I'm a huge fan of both these series. And Guy N. Smith's Crabs because I know Guy, he's a passionate pipe smoker like myself, and I used to love these creature feature books back in the day. Leo Kessler I've never read but thought I'd like to try him as I recently enjoyed a Sven Hessel novel and this looks to be along the same lines. Man, I love old books - especially old tacky paperbacks.