At Long Last!

EXTREMELY RARE prospectus written by W. A. Graham for his soon-to-be-released masterwork "The Custer Myth: A Source Book of Custeriana" - one of the most enduring and significant books in Custer literature. This small promotional brochure (3.5 X 5.25 inches) was distributed by The Stackpole Company prior to the publication of Graham's book and includes pricing for the "library edition" ($10.00) and the autographed deluxe leather edition ($17.50 - they sell for $500 or more today). This promotional piece is a spoof on "survivor" stories of the Little Big Horn battle which Graham dismisses in "The Custer Myth." The story features "Truthful James" - the famous scout and a distant relative of Baron Munchausen, who escaped massacre at the battle. There is a rough sketch of Truthful James, drawn by Graham himself. From Graham's own introduction in the brochure: "After reading the tales of several scores of attleged witnesses and survivors of CUSTER'S LAST FIGHT who occupied hollow logs, disembowelled horses and other secret hideouts on the battlefield, and thus escaped the fury of the Sioux, I determined that some day, sometime, I would write one myself - a story that would be just as full of action, interest and truth as were the others. So here it is - dedicated with love and kisses to the biggest and bravest liars America has yet produced." Not much question how Graham felt about all the survivor stories! O'Keefe #962. The brochure is Near Fine with the only marking being a signature of L. H. Spragle on the front cover. Spragle was a close friend of well-known Custer historian and author E. A. Brininstool (a contemporary of Graham's). This is a very unique and very rare item in the Custeriana field. No one knows how many were printed and distributed by Stackpole but given the scarcity on the market, it is likely few - or many were simply thrown out! Included with this highly collectible item are photocopies of Graham's original artwork from my private collection - one in black and white which was the original sketch used for the brochure, and one in color on old notebook paper that appears to be Graham's original concept. Don't pass up this unique Custeriana collectible. …