About
Harry Arthur Gant lived at the intersection of the Old West and the New West.
He was a cowboy during the 1890s. He saw at first hand the hard work, the hard fun, and the occasional violence of that place and time. He knew cattle barons and horse thieves, con men and hustlers. As civilization spread through the Old West, he worked with the Wild West Shows that helped perpetuate the legends of that country. He was a guy who could get things done.
When the first film makers came around, he soon became indispensable to them, and then followed them to the New West. With a new set of skills in the silent film era, he helped perpetuate the new form of legend that came out of Hollywood. He knew stars and extras, more con men and hustlers, movers and shakers.
He tells his story with a distinctive mix of Old West plain speaking and New West sophistication, with the rough edges left on. This memoir spans two of the most fascinating parts of America's past.
Description
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;">Elisabeth was rude and selfish and demanding, and therefore had very few friends.<span> </span>When she sent out invitations to her birthday party, no one accepted.<span> </span>Her mother warned her that she needed to improve her manners and to try to get along with people.<span> </span>She told Elisabeth that she needed to use the magic word “Please”.<span> </span>So when Elisabeth went to school the next day, she thought of her mother’s advice, “What is the magic word?” and she started saying “Please” and also “Thank You”.<span> </span>She tried to become more thoughtful of others, and discovered that she was a much happier person.<span> </span>Imagine her pleasure when she returned home to find out that her new friends were all coming to her birthday party!</span><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial, 'sans-serif';font-size:10pt;"></span></p><p></p>
Story Behind The Book
Harry Gant wrote his memoir in 1959. It gathered dust for fifty years before his grand-daughter and her son brought it to Castle Knob. It's a remarkable glimpse into the ways of the Old West, the early days of the film industry, and the mind of a real character.
Just as remarkable are the traces of Gant and his friends that remain in the corners of the Internet. While checking his facts, Castle Knob found an entire chapter omitted from his memoir, a chapter that puts him at the center of one of the great stories of the Twentieth Century.
