The First Liar Never Has a Chance : Curley, Jack, and Bill--And Other Characters of the Hills, Brush, and Plains

The author of This Ol' Drought Ain't Broke Us Yet presents a new collection of folklore and tall tales that capture the rich traditions and larger-than-life world of the Old West. 10,000 first printing.

YA?A professional storyteller and an advocate of the genre, Garry is not the "first liar," i.e., he is not the originator of these stories. By his definition, the first liar never has a chance to let the details of a story brew until they are robust from ample word-of-mouth transmission. His aged yarns are chock-full of quotes from farmers, ranchers, ropers, trappers, rodeoers, and stuntmen; they traverse a burgeoning Texas, a grand Wyoming wilderness, and the famed Hollywood hills of California. Written in the style of a fireside chat, this book may be better read aloud; however, fans of Western lore or cinema, students considering a career as a naturalist (Garry's degree), or those familiar with the crisply described geography will find First Liar interesting.?Karen Sokol, Media Services, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Understanding that storytelling connects us to our roots and values, Garry, a professional Western storyteller, spins tales told by and about a half dozen of his cowboy mentors, rugged and outrageous souls whose prickly, daredevil, indomitable spirits survived into the 20th century. Whether it's his wood-whittling Uncle Bob, the mountain man Old Bill, or the dauntless Texas Ranger Uncle Dud, Garry's heroes are large enough to match the mythic Western landscape over which they preside. Casting himself as a Twainian tenderfoot eager to gather tales, Garry learns that frontier humor relies not so much on the events of the story as on the style in which it is told. By no means as beautifully preposterous as Twain's sketches, Garry's are nonetheless lively and fresh, revealing how close in time we are to our wilderness roots. For public libraries.
Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, Mo.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.