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Larry Jeff

He had much to say
about Texas, Texans, Mexicans,
and the cowboy way.

McMurtry, best known
for essays, books, and movie scripts
which Hollywood’s Oscar would pay.

But Larry most loved book scouting,
a proud bibliopolist,
another dying breed.

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Look both ways learning about history, myth, legend, and reality.
Mind the gaps because therein may hide the best of the stories.

 

Larry Jeff McMurtry (1936-2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller (book-scout) and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. Dying breeds, historical truth, and books attracted him personally and professionally. My favorite McMurtry quotes are:

“People would be bored shitless if they had to love only the good in someone they care about.”

“Backward is just not a natural direction for Americans to look – historical ignorance remains a national characteristic.”

“Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken fried steak.”