Montana (Second Edition): High, Wide, and Handsome [Paperback]

Joseph Kinsey Howard (Author), A. B. Guthrie Jr. (Preface), William Kittredge (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

In these pages you will come to fall in love with a ruggedly diverse and strikingly beautiful state, a land that takes hold and won’t let go. Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome is widely recognized as a classic history and delightful ode to the idiosyncratic personalities, restless landscape, unforgettable peoples, and lively history of the Treasure State. William Kittredge provides a new introduction for this edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Superior history of the state of Montana, by an indigenous editor who understands ecology as well as gun-play and who is tearing mad about what a mistaken land policy, monopoly practices, dust storms, and two wars have done to his native earth. Critical, well informed, and brightly written.”—New Yorker

(New Yorker )

“The best single book I know on the subject. Scholarly, yet eminently readable, entertaining all the way.”—Weekly Book Review

(Weekly Book Review )

From the Inside Flap

"Superior history of the state of Montana, by an indigenous editor who understands ecology as well as gun-play and who is tearing mad about what a mistaken land policy, monopoly practices, dust storms, and two wars have done to his native earth. Critical, well informed, and brightly written."—New Yorker.

"The best single book I know on the subject. Scholarly, yet eminently readable, entertaining all the way."—Weekly Book Review.

In these pages you will come to fall in love with a ruggedly diverse and strikingly beautiful state, a land that takes hold and won’t let go. Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome is widely recognized as a classic history and delightful ode to the idiosyncratic personalities, restless landscape, unforgettable peoples, and lively history of the Treasure State. William Kittredge provides a new introduction for this edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 349 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; Revised edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803273398
• ISBN-13: 978-0803273399
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE book on Montana., October 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome (Bison Book) (Paperback)

If you want to know the story of Montana, this is where you start. It's written by the best journalist-writer who ever lived in the state (excluding Bud Guthrie, of course, who chose fiction instead). It must be understood that it is not a "definitive history" as Howard himself stated, but a personal narrative of what matters. In the past two decades, a cottage industry of Howard-bashing has emerged in Montana, by historians eager to establish their own reputations. Yes, some of what Howard wrote was incorrect. Other aspects of his writings now seem outmoded (the colonial economy thing). But to say modern history proves Joe Howard was wrong is like saying Lewis and Clark are disproven by Rand-McNally. Howard was the visionary who showed the way to what Montana should and could be. But 50 years later, this remains the best non-fiction book that will ever be written about Montana.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, interesting, well worth reading., December 19, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome (Bison Book) (Paperback)

I first read this book back in the early 60's when I was stationed in Montana. I found it full of facts that you don't find in history books. The characters are real and believable; makes you wish you had a time machine to go back and witness the action. A must for history buffs.