The Old West Time-Life Books

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When I was a child of about 12-years-old, my mother subscribed to a then popular historical, science, and cultural book club put out by Time-Life Magazines. There were series such as Voyage Through the Universe and Lost Civilizations. But the one we owned was by far one of the most popular: The Old West.

The books were beautiful constructed and truly collectable. Bound in imitation leather and tooled to resemble saddles or belts, replica authentic artwork adorned the covers. The books – 26 in all – were filled with old photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, drawings, painting, anecdotes, and stories. These truly beautiful books brought history to life for me and helped fueled my love of all things Western.

When my own children were young, my mother gifted me with the books, and I proudly displayed them for years in my living room. When I began writing western historical romances, I used the books for research and “borrowed” many story ideas and plot elements from real life incidents. It’s true what they say about true life being better than fiction. Some of my favorite books were, of course, The Cowboys, The Forty-Niners and The Miners (several of my western historicals take place in mining communities), The Spanish West (because I live in Arizona), The Canadians (my father’s family originally came over from France and settled in northeastern Canada and New England), and The Women – I still marvel at their courage and determination.

My favorite book of all, perhaps, is The Pioneers. From the time I was a very little girl, my mother and grandmother would tell me stories of my maternal family, who came over on the Mayflower. They would often speak about John Bidwell, a relative from New York who, as a young man, was lured by the call of the West in the days when people were crossing the country in droves. According to the stories, John Bidwell did well for himself in California, becoming a prominent and wealthy landowner who eventually served in the California Senate and House of Representative. All this when he arrived with but a few dollars in his pocket. Well, the stories my mother and grandmother told were true. John Bidwell appears in The Pioneers, and quite a few pages are dedicated to him and his contribution.

 

I can’t say I read all the books or even one of them from cover to cover. There was just too much information. But I’ve read something from every one of the books and studied at the pictures. Sadly, some years ago, I lost the books through a series of unforeseen events. These things happen. But I often thought about the books and wished I still had them. Well, thanks to the powers of Ebay and $99, I now do. I was recently able to buy a complete set of the books in pristine condition, and they are once again being proudly displayed on my living room bookcase. And while not the books my late mother gave me, they nonetheless warm my heart when I look at them and run my fingers over the imitation tooled leather covers ?

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Cathy McDavid has been penning Westerns for Harlequin since 2005. With over 55 titles in print and 1.6 million-plus books sold, Cathy is also a member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll. This “almost” Arizona native and mother of grown twins is married to her own real-life sweetheart. After leaving the corporate world seven years ago, she now spends her days penning stories about good looking cowboys riding the range, busting broncs, and sweeping gals off their feet — oops, no. Make that winning the hearts of feisty, independent women who give the cowboys a run for their money. It a tough job, but she’s willing to make the sacrifice.

42 thoughts on “The Old West Time-Life Books”

    • They really are. And while they might be a little outdated, they are still a great resource.

  5. That’s so cool! What history, western and familial!

    I have some older vintage western books, not the same ones, with Louis L’Amour titles. My dad picked them up somewhere.

  8. If I had them I would be tempted to read them cover to cover if I had the time. How fortunately you able to find them again.

  9. I would definitely be reading them all if I had the time. What an awesome set of books. Glad you were able to replace them.

    • Since buying them, I’ve been leafing through some of my favorites and recalling good memories!

  10. Thanks for the memories! I remember the Time-Life Old West Books. Like your family, mine bought the books as well. I can remember “reading” through them, in actuality it was probably more looking at the pictures. I’ve always had a love of western history thanks to my dad and our treks that took us to many, many of the historic places that loomed great in western history, expansion and culture. It would be nice to have the books, but my mom gave them to a neighbor when they sold the house. Recently I found several of the volumes in our school library while researching material for a paper I wrote on the Transcontinental railroad.

    • Carol, your memory sounds much like mine – looking at the many fascinating pictures 🙂

  11. Good morning, so sad you lost yours, but happy that you were able to purchase a set just like the ones your mom gifted you with. They sound very interesting, Thank you for sharing this . Have a great day and a great weekend.

  12. Cathy, these books are the BEST resource any western writer could have. I absolutely love my set, and I’ve had these books throughout my writing career.

    I’m so glad you found your set on ebay. I got mine at a used book store, and your price was better than mine. Ha! But well worth every dime we paid for them. Can you imagine the research and knowledge needed to print each book?

    Your set looks perfect shelved with all the horses. 🙂

    • I know, Pam. These are the greatest books and so rich with valuable research info. Every western author should own a set 🙂

  13. Time-Life also had a whole series on the Civil War, which I purchased for my son as he was very interested in it. Unfortunately, they disappeared during his divorce from his first wife. They were great books and we both enjoyed them.

  14. I know, Pam. These are the greatest books and so rich with valuable research info. Every western author should own a set 🙂

  15. We still have our set. A perfect blend of narrative, sidebars, photos, maps. Easy to read cover to cover or just pop one open for get some random bits of history.

  17. Thanks for sharing . I am so glad you were able to find the set of books. Have a great day.

  19. I didn’t realize how much information I picked up from listening to my grandmother and great aunt. I have used their stories so many times as I write about how we used to live. My aunt was born in 1873.

  20. I have a few of these books, but not the full set. I grew up in NE NY on the Canadian border and everyone stayed in the area or in Canada. The West was a very remote thought. It did appeal to me and I avidly watched all the westerns on TV. It always appealed to me. I didn’t get a chance to experience it until I had been married 9 years and my husband was transferred to Colorado Springs, CO. It was love at first sight. We spent 3 wonderful years there and have been back many times to visit the western states. The different regions have their own type of beauty and appeal.
    Stories of the West have been favorites for a long time. My first was the My Friend Flicka three book series by Mary O’Hara which I read in high school. The history of the settling of the area, native peoples, mail order brides, mountain men, and range wars have always been of interest. I’ll have to find the books I do have from this set. It has been a while since I read any of them.

    • I love hearing about how you came to love the old West, Patricia. You sound like me, reading stories from the time I was a child 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

  21. Cathy, I had a set but I gave them to my son when I moved. He just loves looking at them and I’m glad he finds them interesting. I did too and I used them often but I had no room when I downsized and moved into a small apartment. Glad you found a set on Ebay. Wonderful!

  22. These books look so familiar but I don’t know from where. In what time frame were they published? They look very interesting.

    • I Sarah. A quick Google search tells me the Old West series was published from 1973 to 1980, with reprints being issued for some years after that.

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