Back-Tracking in Memory: The Life of Charles M. Russell, Artist Recollections, Reflections and Personal Perspectives by Nancy Cooper Russell

A Life Lived Like Legend: The Untold Story Behind the Cowboy Artist

"My life has been very full of romance, which they like to make moving pictures out of, only mine happens to be real." —Nancy Cooper Russell

Back-Tracking in Memory offers a rare, intimate look at one of the American West's most iconic figures—through the eyes of the woman who knew him best. Part memoir, part biography, and part love story, this richly illustrated volume brings to light Nancy Cooper Russell's unfinished tribute to her husband, legendary artist Charles M. Russell.

• First-hand, behind-the-scenes insight into Russell's personal and artistic life
• Compelling storytelling from Nancy Cooper Russell, his wife and savvy manager
• Features rare artwork, letters, and photographs curated by Western art experts
• Edited and expanded by Western art scholars Tom Petrie and Brian W. Dippie
• Honored by PubWest and the Will Rogers Medallion Awards for historical excellence

This book is an essential addition for lovers of Western history, art enthusiasts, and anyone captivated by the real-life romance and legacy of "the only Charles Russell in the world."

Thomas A. Petrie, is a former Chair of the C.M. Russell Museum Board of Directors. For over twenty years, he has served as a Trustee of the Denver Art Museum, where he helped establish the Petrie Institute of Western American Art. Mr. Petrie supported the publication of such important works as Charles M. Russell: A Catalogue Raisonné (2007), The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Painting and Sculpture (2009), C.M. Russell: The Women in His Life and Art (2018), and Return To Calgary: Charles M. Russell And The 1919 Victory Stampede (2019). Mr. Petrie, with over two decades of governance involvement with the C.M. Russell Museum, is co-chair of the museum's Art & Soul Capital Campaign.

Brian W. Dippie, a retired professor of History at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, has been fascinated by the art of Charles M. Russell for more than seventy years now. He first published on Russell in 1973 and considers helping Tom Petrie bring Nancy Russell's biography of Charlie into print the perfect capstone to a long career.