Near the Greats

This newest book by the West's beloved historian, Agnes Wright Spring, is a collection of reminiscences about distinguished people known to the author during her half-century of work as an historian. Near the Greats presents little-known vignettes of well-known people: William Henry Jackson, Black Kettle's widow, Lowell Thomas, Mamie Eisenhower, Kit Carson III, Calamity Jane and many more. Near the Greats is, in essence, a autobiography of a great historian. Mrs. Spring introduces us to some of the people who most profoundly influenced her career: Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard, William C. Deming, Dr. James Grafton Rogers and others. Agnes Wright Spring shares with us some moments of pride and honor, such as the night Walter Brennan presented her with the coveted award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. We follow along her road to success as a published author, beginning at Columbia University's School of Journalism in the early 1900's. We experience her frustrations and accomplishments as editor of the "Wyoming Guide", Writers' Project of the WPA. If you know or would like to know Anges Wright Spring, Near the Greats will of course be a part of your library. But for anyone seeking a first-person exposure to the last hundred years of Old West history, Near the Greats should top the list of recommended reading.