Max Evans

Sharp-witted Zacharias Chacon, aspiring artist Shaw Spencer, and a circle of characters drink, fight, love, argue, and mostly talk in Taos during the late 1950s.

A Novel

The King of Taos

In his eighty-plus years, Max Evans has known, owned, ridden, and been thrown by quite a number of horses. In For the Love of a Horse, Evans shares his favorite horse stories for all to enjoy. As Max explains, "I wanted a wide range of adventures from another time, with different horses, of different breeds, and a sense of history of those special days." Max begins with his first horse, Cricket, which he received when he was four years old. At the age of ten, he helped with a horse-drive from far southeast New Mexico, through west Texas, and on to the final destination in Guymon, Oklahoma. Later, PDQ was a horse that seemed very gentle and laid-back, until someone rode him. And then there was Molly, who liked to fly through and around obstacles on coyote hunts. This book is for all those who enjoy reading horse stories as much as Max loves telling them. Saddle up! "The recognition is long overdue. (Max Evans is) sui generis. He understands the present West better than anyone else, what it's like to be there now living in two worlds of the pickup truck and the bronco."--Charles Champlin, former Denver bureau chief of Time and retired arts editor of The Los Angeles Times, quoted in The New York Times

For the Love of a Horse

First published in 1999, Faraway Blue is based on the real-life exploits of Sergeant Moses Williams, former slave, Civil War veteran, and Buffalo Soldier in the Ninth Cavalry Regiment. Included in Moses's story are four women and two men representing the ethnic groups and economic levels found in the late 1800s American Southwest. At the story's opening, Williams's cavalry unit has one assignment: kill Apaches in the "faraway blue" mountains of southwestern New Mexico Territory, also known as the Black Range. As a fighter in the white man's campaign to obliterate the Indians and take over their lands, Williams finds a nemesis in Nana, an old Warm Springs Apache warrior who is a tactical genius. Nana leads his small band of followers to repeatedly strike area mining camps and settlements. Both men know they must meet before the end of the war and a maddening cat-and-mouse pursuit ensues. ; Williams is sustained by his love for Sheela Jones, a mulatto whom he wants to marry when the army will allow it. But Sheela's love for him guides her to take an immense risk just as Williams and Nana ride out to settle their score. "Evans paints marvelous word pictures of a land and people he knows extremely well." - Booklist "As always with Evans, written with a good sense of the times and place." - Kirkus

Faraway Blue

Legendary western author Max Evans has spent his entire life working with cows and horses. These rangeland animals, and other creatures both domestic and wild, play pivotal roles in his stories. This magnificent collection, beautifully illustrated by cowboy artist Keith Walters, showcases twenty-six animal tales penned by Evans during his long and celebrated career. Both fiction and nonfiction, the stories in this collection get us inside the heads and hearts of numerous four-legged critters—dogs, horses, burros, goats, cattle, deer, coyotes, and more. “The Old One,” for example, shows us the world through the eyes of a prairie dog as she watches her latest litter of pups rolling and tumbling around the mound and thinks of all the things she will need to teach them. And in “The One-Eyed Sky,” an aging cow with a new calf and an old coyote with a litter to feed circle each other warily, trying to protect their young, until a rancher intervenes. Not one to shy away from difficult subjects, Evans also delves into the “animal nature” of human beings, as in “The Heart of the Matter,” where two Vietnam vets and friends kill a deer and then turn their rifles on each other. These captivating tales display Evans’s trademark mix of raucous humor and vivid, poetic descriptions of the high plains of West Texas and his beloved Hi-Lo Country in northeastern New Mexico. He reminds his readers of simpler times and more honorable people even as he evokes the merciless environment in which his characters, both animal and human, struggle to survive.

A Lifetime Collection

Animal Stories

Novellas

Spinning Sun, Grinning Moon

Ty Hale, a young corporal from Lovington, New Mexico, finds himself alone in the middle of a grain field in Normandy after being knocked unconscious by the explosion of a German artillery shell. Stunned from the explosion and overwhelmed by visions of the grandfather who raised him and the simple life of the New Mexico prairie he has left behind, Ty attempts to rejoin his unit but instead stumbles onto a country estate and inextricably into the lives of its inhabitants. Philippe Gaston, a former music teacher, his stunningly beautiful daughter Renée, and Hans Heinike, a German deserter and an accomplished musician, are attempting to carve out a normal existence in spite of the chaos and destruction that surrounds them. As Philippe devotes his time to his German protégé, Ty and Renée fall in love and Ty learns of the Gaston estate's unique legacy of survival and the most recent story of violence and sacrifice that has preserved this pristine oasis in the midst of a raging war. The music that permeates their solitary existence, whether it be the buzzing and chattering of insects and birds, a violin and human voice joined in concert, or the fire of machine guns and the distant rumble of tanks, draws these unlikely comrades together and reveals the common humanity that resides in us all. The war, the music, the love, and the rhythms of nature are all timeless and eternal.

A Medley of Love

War and Music

Born in New Mexico at the end of World War I, Bluefeather Fellini is half-Pueblo Indian and half-Italian. Throughout his life, Bluefeather enjoys roaming and seeking his fortunes elsewhere, but he is always drawn back to Taos, the home of his Indian mother. During times of danger, he is visited by Dancing Bear, his spirit guide, who interjects ageless humor into situations when needed. And his Aunt Tulip Everhaven usually has a brew made from sagebrush that helps Bluefeather put his troubles into perspective. "[Max Evans is] a sage voice of the West."--The New York Times The narrative tone changes dramatically to describe Bluefeather's participation in D-Day and the subsequent push into Germany in harrowing, unsentimental detail; these nearly surreal passages are war writing at its best. . . . a highly engaging epic."--Publishers Weekly "A strong sense of place permeates the text; the high-desert world of northern New Mexico provides realistic and spiritual elements that add mythic quality to a leisurely-told tale wi

Bluefeather Fellini

This is the story of the friendship between two men, their mutual love for one woman, and their bone-deep allegiance to the harsh, dry New Mexican land. Pete hells around with his closest friend Big Boy Matson. Together they drink, gamble, fight, rodeo and both fall in love with an attractive and dangerous married woman.

The Hi-Lo Country

Jan Haley

Jan Haley is from the heart of Hi Lo Country, where she has documented in her photography the vanishing homesteads and ranches in this region anchored by four moutains: Eagle Tail, Sierra Grande, Capulin, and Rabbit Ears. Her photographs of the spectacular landscapes will enthrall not just fans of Max Evans but anyone who wants to see the True West that still exists within a day's drive of the big cities that are now the population centers of the region.

Under the One-eyed Sky

Max Evans' Hi Lo Country

At its heart, The Hi Lo Country is the story of the friendship between two men, their mutual love of a woman, and their allegiance to the harsh, dry, achingly beautiful New Mexico high-desert grassland. The story is told by Pete, a young ranch hand, whose best friend is Big Boy Matson. Together they drink, gamble, fight, work, and rodeo. They both fall hard for a married woman—the attractive, bored, and dangerous Mona. When it was first published in 1961, the novel was both a celebration and an elegy. It captured something jagged and authentic in the West, and it caught the attention of Hollywood—notably Sam Peckinpah, who spent twenty years trying to make a movie of this multilayered and plainspoken novel. It would take another twenty years for Martin Scorsese and Stephen Frears to finally do it. Now in a special 60th anniversary edition, The Hi Lo Country continues to tell a quintessential story of the people and the land found in the American West.

60th Anniversary Edition

The Hi Lo Country

Candy Vyvey Moulton

A collection of short stories by working cowboys and women of the western ranches takes readers into the ranches and honky tonks of the American West in search of the authentic modern American cowboy. (Story Collections)

Eighteen Stories by Women and Men of the Ranching West

Hot Biscuits

Two very close life-long friends graduate from the School of Mines and are immediately caught up in the great uranium boom of the 1950s that was centered on Grants, New Mexico. The boom changed the state--and the world--now and forever, and it changes the two young mining engineers. T.C. Young's closest friend, Ray Morris, is tormented by T.C.'s deep love for Julie Goodman who shares with T.C. a love of Anasazi ruins, art galleries, and the mountain streams of Taos. The shining adventures of that mighty historical period turn into a deadly love triangle of murderous thoughts and actions, and the perpetual reincarnation of love, which reach a climax in a mountain cabin and a nearby ancient tunnel inhabited by mysterious mystical powers that jeopardize the lives of all. Max Evans's most recent books are Hot Biscuits, coedited with Candy Moulton, and Madam Millie, both available from UNM Press. He resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A Novel of Love and Betrayal Reincarnate

Now & Forever

A romp through the cultures of the southwest, starring Bluefeather Fellini, a down-and-out, half-Italian, half-Indian prospector. Eventually, his guiding spirit finds him work: a millionaire wants the caverns of New Mexico searched for 60 cases of 1880-vintage wine. The job pays well and as a bonus there is the company of the millionaire's daughter. They meet fantastic cavern-dwellers.

Bluefeather Fellini in the Sacred Realm

Anthony Wensley

﻿These proceedings represent the work of contributors to the 17th International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organisational Learning (ICICKM 2020), hosted by ACI and the University of Toronto, Canada on 15-16 October 2020. The Conference Chairs are Dr. Anthony Wensley, from the University of Toronto and Dr. Max Evans, from McGill University. The Programme Chair is Dr. Ilja Frissen from McGill University.

17th International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organisational Learning

In his eighty-plus years, Max Evans has known, owned, ridden, and been thrown by quite a number of horses. In For the Love of a Horse, Evans shares his favorite horse stories for all to enjoy. As Max explains, I wanted a wide range of adventures from another time, with different horses, of different breeds, and a sense of history of those special days. Max begins with his first horse, Cricket, which he received when he was four years old. At the age of ten, he helped with a horse-drive from far southeast New Mexico, through west Texas, and on to the final destination in Guymon, Oklahoma. Later, PDQ was a horse that seemed very gentle and laid-back, until someone rode him. And then there was Molly, who liked to fly through and around obstacles on coyote hunts. This book is for all those who enjoy reading horse stories as much as Max loves telling them. Saddle up! The recognition is long overdue. [Max Evans is] sui generis. He understands the present West better than anyone else, what it's like to be there now living in two worlds of the pickup truck and the bronco.--Charles Champlin, former Denver bureau chief of Time and retired arts editor of The Los Angeles Times, quoted in The New York Times

Mildred Clark Cusey was a whore, a madam, an entrepreneur, and above all, a survivor. The story of Silver City Millie, as she referred to herself, is the story of one woman's personal tragedies and triumphs as an orphan, a Harvey Girl waitress on the Santa Fe railroad, a prostitute with innumerable paramours, and a highly successful bordello businesswoman. Millie broke the mold in so many ways, and yet her life's story of survival was not unlike that of thousands of women who went West only to find that their most valuable assets were their physical beauty and their personality. Petite at five feet tall with piercing blue eyes, Millie captured men's attention by her very essence and her unmistakablejoie de vivre. Born to Italian immigrant parents near Kansas City, she and her sister were orphaned early and separated from each other. Millie learned hard lessons on the streets, but she never gave up and she vowed to protect and support her ailing older sister. Caught in a domestic squabble in her foster home, Millie wound up in juvenile court with Harry Truman as her judge. This would be only the first of many brushes in her life with prominent politicians. When physicians diagnosed her sister with tuberculosis and recommended she move West to a Catholic home in Deming, New Mexico, Millie moved with her. Expenses ran high and after a brief stint waiting tables as a Harvey Girl, Millie found that her meager tips could easily be augmented by turning tricks. Thus, out of financial need and devotion to her sister, Mildred Cusey turned to a life of prostitution and a career at which she soon excelled and became both rich and famous.

Bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikan

Madam Millie

From among his numerous publications, award-winning author Max Evans has selected his personal favorites. The more than thirty pieces include short novels, essays, short stories, introductions to other works, and magazine articles spanning several genres and most of his writing career. Through them all runs a common thread: the understanding of and love Evans has for the West and its peoples, and his ability to convey that understanding with humor and compassion. Included works: Short novels Xavier's Folly One Eyed Sky The Wild One Old Bum My Pardner Essays "Sam Peckinpah: A Very Personal Remembrance" "King John" "Long John Dunn" "Dinner with Frank Waters" "Riding the Outside Circle in Hollywood" "Many Deaths, Many Lives" "Song of the West" Short Stories "The Ultimate Giver" "Blizzard" "Don't Kill My Dog" "The Far Cry" "The Wooden Cove" "The Third Grade Reunion" "Sky of Gold" "A Man Who Never Missed" "Big Shad's Bridge" "The Call" Introductions and Forewords "Patricino Barela" "Some Sweet Day" "The Hi Lo Country" "Final Harvest and other Convictions and Opinions" "Rounders 3" Magazine Articles "The Cowboy and the Professor" "A Horse to Brag About" "Showdown at Hollywood Park" "The Wild Bunch" "The World's Strangest Creature" "Super Bull"

A Max Evans Reader

Hi Lo to Hollywood

Mildred Clark Cusey was a whore, a madam, an entrepreneur, and above all, a survivor. The story of Silver City Millie, as she referred to herself, is the story of one woman's personal tragedies and triumphs as an orphan, a Harvey Girl waitress on the Santa Fe railroad, a prostitute with innumerable paramours, and a highly successful bordello businesswoman. Millie broke the mold in so many ways, and yet her life's story of survival was not unlike that of thousands of women who went West only to find that their most valuable assets were their physical beauty and their personality. Petite at five feet tall with piercing blue eyes, Millie captured men's attention by her very essence and her unmistakable joie de vivre. Born to Italian immigrant parents near Kansas City, she and her sister were orphaned early and separated from each other. Millie learned hard lessons on the streets, but she never gave up and she vowed to protect and support her ailing older sister. Caught in a domestic squabble in her foster home, Millie wound up in juvenile court with Harry Truman as her judge. This would be only the first of many brushes in her life with prominent politicians. When physicians diagnosed her sister with tuberculosis and recommended she move West to a Catholic home in Deming, New Mexico, Millie moved with her. Expenses ran high and after a brief stint waiting tables as a Harvey Girl, Millie found that her meager tips could easily be augmented by turning tricks. Thus, out of financial need and devotion to her sister, Mildred Cusey turned to a life of prostitution and a career at which she soon excelled and became both rich and famous.

Bernard Plossu

Francis Hodgson

The definitive collection of Bernard Plossu s iconic color photographs of the American Southwest"

Max Evans

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