tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post5753596494663873661..comments2024-03-28T22:25:23.698-05:00Comments on Western Fictioneers: Books and maps are like dear old friends - by Kaye SpencerWestern Fictioneershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683314579075461026noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-22506414251294321322014-05-27T09:33:23.798-05:002014-05-27T09:33:23.798-05:00Thanks for the info, Kaye. Sometimes I get so lost...Thanks for the info, Kaye. Sometimes I get so lost in maps and research that I forget to write! I was a draftsman in another life and think that it's a shame we don't use cartographers any more. It was a true art form.<br />Vonn McKeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-7501609126643813672014-05-26T22:23:53.218-05:002014-05-26T22:23:53.218-05:00WOW!!! great maps! don't you love all that coo...WOW!!! great maps! don't you love all that cool research? Gems, all of them.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-69872451191494905782014-05-25T19:43:18.247-05:002014-05-25T19:43:18.247-05:00J.E.S.
I agree. Old almanacs offer a wealth of inf...J.E.S.<br />I agree. Old almanacs offer a wealth of information for a particular time period. Lots of tidbits in them about daily life.<br /><br />I sometimes need my characters to be out and about during a full moon or a dark moon, so I try to keep the dates as accurate as I can, so I use this NASA website as a moon phases resource: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phasecat.html<br /><br />Even though it has 'eclipse' in the url, when you scroll down, there are tables you can click on to find the moon phases for a particular month/year. Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-86576362728817741522014-05-25T08:31:02.851-05:002014-05-25T08:31:02.851-05:00Love my Time-Life books!
Another great resource t...Love my Time-Life books!<br /><br />Another great resource to consider is the humble almanac - you can generally find one from your characters' time period if you look hard enough, and the information adds flavor and color to your story. JES Hayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08464125288178319685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-45484416416138200022014-05-24T21:59:15.328-05:002014-05-24T21:59:15.328-05:00You're most welcome. ;-)You're most welcome. ;-) Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-51576992197712597162014-05-24T21:04:40.193-05:002014-05-24T21:04:40.193-05:00Another resource. I love old maps and buy them at ...Another resource. I love old maps and buy them at museums and other venues whenever I find and can afford them. They are, like you say, a treasure. Thank you for sharing your with us. DorisRenaissance Womenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045401344374224512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-9595317546590689962014-05-24T19:20:23.634-05:002014-05-24T19:20:23.634-05:00Thanks, Sarah. You might look on etsy.com in addit...Thanks, Sarah. You might look on etsy.com in addition to Amazon because I found sets at both sites when I was looking for a picture of them. I'm with you on just liking to look at maps, especially old maps. Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-55629571406654128762014-05-24T19:00:00.962-05:002014-05-24T19:00:00.962-05:00Lordy, I love reference books about history. I hav...Lordy, I love reference books about history. I have a used set of This Fabulous Century that has a book for each decade from 1910 to 1950. I read them for pleasure. I have others that I pull out once n a while to get my facts straight, but this set is my favorite. There are some earlier and later, but these were the ones I loved.<br />I am so envious of you with those Time Life Western books. I always wanted a set. Now I guess I'll go to Amazon and see if I can find some used ones. <br />I love maps, too. They're a great way to get organized when I'm into a story. I like just looking at them.<br />Great post, Kaye.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-9581033722032514642014-05-24T17:25:58.629-05:002014-05-24T17:25:58.629-05:00Kathleen, I'm doing my little happy dance beca...Kathleen, I'm doing my little happy dance because the three van Arsdale maps I ordered arrived today. And, yes, the ones my dad framed are so special to me. Maybe I'll try my hand at making frames for my new maps. My mom kept my dad's woodworking tools and the pieces of old barn wood that were left over from some of his projects. Hmmm... maybe, just maybe. ;-)Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-25441762920034651132014-05-24T17:22:52.029-05:002014-05-24T17:22:52.029-05:00Jerry, The photographs/images in the books are pri...Jerry, The photographs/images in the books are priceless. All that visual Old West history in one accessible place has been such a help in my writing.Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-30615457434598661652014-05-24T17:20:24.475-05:002014-05-24T17:20:24.475-05:00Charlie, Thank you for the writing and article com...Charlie, Thank you for the writing and article compliments. It means a lot to me. Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-63030256529496331212014-05-24T17:19:31.273-05:002014-05-24T17:19:31.273-05:00Keith, The books do look good on the shelf and th...Keith, The books do look good on the shelf and the covers add to their reading pleasure. I have several Louis L'Amour books with the leather-like covers <<<another of those order blanks in the back of a book that suckered me in. :-)Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-35218766580657557302014-05-24T17:17:44.889-05:002014-05-24T17:17:44.889-05:00Cheryl, While I've read each one of the books ...Cheryl, While I've read each one of the books in the set, like you, there are several that I've never used for reference. I do love them though. ;-)Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-26344488148820186202014-05-24T17:04:33.582-05:002014-05-24T17:04:33.582-05:00Add me to the growing gang who adore Time-Life'...Add me to the growing gang who adore Time-Life's The Old West series. (When even the Mad Scotsman owns a few, you know they're valuable research material. ;-) ) My mom and dad bought the entire set when it came out in the '70s, and I was quickest on the draw when it came to settling my mother's estate a few years ago. (Actually, she specifically left them to me because she practically had to lock them up when they were new to keep me from wearing out the pages. :-D )<br /><br />That map resource is priceless, Kaye! Thank you so much for the link. I'm going to have to invest in several of those, frame them, and decorate the walls in my writing space. You have an extra-special reason to cherish yours. It's those seemingly little things that bring back the strongest memories, isn't it? :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05740371055384281988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-18980144000946137462014-05-24T16:54:24.214-05:002014-05-24T16:54:24.214-05:00Those books still cost at least $10.00 each at use...Those books still cost at least $10.00 each at used book stores. I buy one from time to time. I have a about a dozen. Some good stuff in the books. Jerry Guinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17074197803776713004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-84687857069997067302014-05-24T16:53:19.362-05:002014-05-24T16:53:19.362-05:00Kaye,
Great writing! Great article!
(I've...Kaye,<br /><br />Great writing! Great article! <br /><br />(I've got a bunch of those beautiful books on my shelf too!)<br /><br />CharlieCharlie Steelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16992330591519249699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-20124261612209119142014-05-24T16:52:34.287-05:002014-05-24T16:52:34.287-05:00Interesting post, Kaye. I have half a dozen of the...Interesting post, Kaye. I have half a dozen of the Time-Life books and find them extremely useful. And they look good on the shelf and are pleasing to handle with their leather covers. <br /><br />Thank you for the information about the Van Arsdale maps. I shall investigate.<br /><br />KeithKeith Souterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15206349930107528691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-13702788726003251292014-05-24T15:57:50.225-05:002014-05-24T15:57:50.225-05:00I never knew about them, either, Kaye! Thanks for ...I never knew about them, either, Kaye! Thanks for the link. I can only imagine how precious those frames are that your dad did. I have a set of the Time-LIfe books, too. I found them in a used bookstore, several years ago. The owner wanted to sell them as a set, for $150. I told the lady working there that I would pay $5 each but I didn't want to buy them all--there were some that I knew I wouldn't use. She called the owner and they chatted, and the owner said, "OK, but she has to buy at least 10 of them." HUH? Well, okay. No problem there-- I bought nearly double that! LOL And I'm so glad I did--I had wanted them, like you, since the moment I saw they were coming out with them.<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-85522600075000177092014-05-24T10:24:30.590-05:002014-05-24T10:24:30.590-05:00Frank, You're welcome. The maps contain so muc...Frank, You're welcome. The maps contain so much information that there's hardly any unused spaces. Sometimes I use a magnifying glass to localize smaller areas so I'm not so overwhelmed with detail. Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-16455973579449172162014-05-24T07:14:27.858-05:002014-05-24T07:14:27.858-05:00I never knew about those maps. Thanks for the tip....I never knew about those maps. Thanks for the tip.<br />Frank Roderusnoreply@blogger.com