Distinctly Montana Magazine

21 w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m WESTWARD & MISERABLE BY JOHN HENRY HASELTINE We'll be honest: this one is a little different for Last Best Books. Westward & Misera- ble is an 80-page collection of full-color paintings and accompanying essays by Livingston artist John Henry Haseltine, published by Elk River Books and a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. The paintings are done in a deliberately primitive folk-art style—bright acrylic craft paint, bug-eyed figures, hunched postures—and the accompanying text is written from the fictional perspective of one E. Benjamin Fogelson, a Living- ston literatus and editor who cannot conceal his contempt for Haseltine's work. As Haseltine himself puts it, it is mostly a book of lies, "equally benevolent as they are pernicious." The lies are wonderful. In one sketch, Liver Eatin' Johnson, jealous of the ink John Colter gets for his famous nude es- cape, survives long enough to weigh in on the casting of Robert Redford in his bi- opic, remarking that Redford has the right body for the part. In an- other, Sasquatch steals Teddy Roo- sevelt's favorite suckling pig. A third finds the Lewis and Clark expedition taking decades to com- plete their jour- ney, arriving at last in a much-changed America. The humor is wry and knowing, rooted in a deep preoccupation with the absurdity of our most cherished Western icons. Haseltine, a self-taught painter inspired by American prim- itive art and mid-century kitsch, is interested in how West- ern mythology gets built, revised, and rebuilt—a process he sees as being as old as the myths themselves. That sensibili- ty makes this slim, strange, utterly original volume feel more essential than its playful surface might suggest. It would make a fine gift for anyone in your life who loves Montana but doesn't take it too seriously. Or, for that matter, anyone who takes it very seriously indeed. Montana History at its Best I n June, 1938, Montana's worst passenger train accident occurred near Miles City. A gripping account of tragedy and human resilience. A "page turner" says Distinctly Montana. A "highly recom- mended" read. Available at the Montana Historical Society, Amazon and Audible. Catastrophe at Custer Creek: Montana's Deadliest Train Wreck by Ian Campbell Wilson www.iancampbellwilson.com C o m i n g F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 6 ! F o r m o r e i n f o r m at i o n , v i s i t w w w. C h r i s E n s s . c o m 264 pages • ISBN 978-1-4930-8786-0 • $34.95 • Hardback Available at Simon & Schuster • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • Amazon.com S ince the debut of The Great Train Robbery in 1903, cowboy heroes have long taken center stage—but behind the scenes, fearless cowgirls were redefining Hollywood. Daughters of Daring shines a spot- light on the trailblazing actresses and stunt women who performed every feat of horsemanship imag- inable: trick roping, bronc busting, bulldogging, riding at breakneck speed, firing guns, and capturing outlaws on screen. Meet the real women who paved the way for later icons like Barbara Stanwyck and Dale Evans—stars such as Ruth Roland, Helen Gibson, Texas Guinan, Marin Sais, Anne Little, Marie Walcamp, and Evelyn Selbie. These bold perfomers earned top billing and kept the cowgirl spirit alive with grit, charm, and unstoppa- ble courage. This is their story. Crashing through that glass ceiling— with a lasso!

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