Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 52 Richard S Buswell: Fifty Years of Photography by Richard S Buswell, with foreword by Barbara Koostra Published by University of New Mexico Press Richard Buswell, a photographer who has taken pictures of and in Montana ghost towns for half a centu- ry while pursuing a career in medi- cine, now has a retrospective book encompassing his entire career available from University of New Mexico Press. The foreword by Barbara Koostra, the former director of the Mon- tana Museum of Art and Culture, contains a line that may be key to understanding his work: "Richard captures physicality in a form that he then communicates and shares, affording art as permanency to that which is impermanent." Indeed, Buswell captures tiny details in the decay of Montana's ghost towns and preserves them forever. A devotee of Georgia O'Keefe, his tight black and white closeups of details—the fleshless skeleton of a bird of prey, light sifting through the rafters of a mill, an old linoleum floor decayed into what almost resembles a topographical landscape—preserve that moment of deterioration as an eerily beautiful abstraction. This extraordinary career retrospective makes a strong case for Buswell being one of Montana's best photographers living or dead. We highly recommend the book for fans of photography, ghost town enthusiasts, and anyone who can appreciate a remarkably different and evocative take on western art. Last Tango in Melrose, Montana: The Writings of Dan Vichorek by Dan Vichorek, Edited by John Kuglin Published by University of Montana Press The literary world—to say nothing of Montana—is a more impoverished place fol- lowing the untimely passing of Mr. Vichorek in 2001. The journalist and humorist would have made Patrick F. McManus guffaw, or Mark Twain chortle through his cigar. This slim volume brings together work he did for Montana Magazine and the Fishing & Hunting News, selections from his books, and portions of manuscripts he left unpublished at the time of his death. He's the kind of writer so ferociously talented that you feel simultaneously ashamed of never having read him before and irrationally proud that you've discovered him. You might just write all of your friends and relatives to see that they don't make the same mistake. Or you are as likely to keep him all to yourself, to shore up against those times when hilarity is in lamentably short supply. But, and this is what makes him an incredibly fascinating read, his abundant humor is shot through with a remarkable power of obser- vation. He will tell you things about Montana that you've somehow always felt, but never been able to put into words. For a taste of what Vichorek has to offer, check out "If You Ain't Got A Cowboy Hat, You Ain't ****" on p. 32 of this magazine. If you don't laugh at that, you might consider checking yourself into Warm Springs until such time as you and your sense of humor are restored. The Cabbage Patch by Jacob D. Dorich Published by Old Butte Publishing I asked the owner of a popular Butte bookstore what the most sought-after work of local history was at this moment, and the answer was quick and decisive: they've sold more copies of The Cabbage Patch than any other book in the last year. The Cabbage Patch earns that distinction by getting into the nitty-gritty of Butte's often sordid past, uncovering murders, prostitution, arson, and dope-dealing. But Dorich also found tales of community, bravery and even love stories in Butte's historical ghetto. Our only reservation is that typos and formatting errors mar nearly every page of the book. But perhaps this only serves to enhance the book's rough charms. At any rate, The Cabbage Patch is well worth a read, if only for the opportunity to shake your head in disbelief at just how rough and rowdy Butte, America, used to be. Last Best Books Scan the QR code to see more about... Montana book reviews www.distinctlymontana.com/books212 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

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