Today's eBay Pick

All's fair in love and eBay.

If you are up for the challenge, go for it! I guarantee you'll bidding against top-notch boot collectors and Hollywood stylists for this pair of vintage cowboy boots.

Five rows of stitching. Ranch-worn and high-fashion... this pair of Dixon from the 50's-'60's are today's definition of uni-sexy.

These are the boots you wear to fashion week anywhere in the world, eliciting the envy of others.

Classic never-ending style.

(Ladies, confirm your calf measurements before bidding.) Good luck!

Click here for ebay auction.

Cowboy Boot eBook

I love looking through Tyler's book, Cowboy Boots...nearly 400 pairs of cowboy boots.

Did you see all those great Dave Little Boots? What's that?!
You say, you can't find them?

And those five pairs made by Joe Patrickus, you mean to tell me you don't know what pages they're on?

Well here you go, the "Missing Index" for Tyler Beard's book, Cowboy Boots. It's my first eBook.

$3.99 digital, free shipping

I originally created this index for my personal use. It’s great, an indispensable reference tool for recognizing the individual styles and skills of America’s best known bootmakers. I used this index over and over again while I was writing my cowboy boot book, and now I am sharing it with you.

Tyler’s Cowboy Boots should be on every collector’s shelf. By purchasing this index you’ll get the most out of your book. Here’s why, it's...

• Fast. Less time hunting for a famous bootmaker’s work. Don’t miss a single boot!
• Accurate. Errors in the book’s captions (First Edition) have been corrected in this index. Nine pairs of cowboy boots were labeled with the wrong maker. Do you know which ones?
• Easy. A separate index means less page-flipping. And a larger font for more comfortable reading.
• Practical. There is a convenient space for note taking. By writing your notes on this index you can keep your book in a fine “collectable” condition.
• And finally, your $3.99 purchase supports the work of the Cowboy Boot Web Page. Thank you!

(A link to download the PDF will be sent to the email address you specify. File size: 369 KB)

My Cowboy Boots, All of Them

These are my cowboy boots. I count sixteen pairs, including the two that were packed away in the attic (the blue Lone Stars and the old-timey red Noconas.)

I can't take much credit for "curating" this fine collection, because so many of my boots were gifts. My closet has been a true group project, the result of happy travels, generosity, and more than a little luck.

Here they are (approximately) in order of acquisition...

Vintage Acmes

Evan Voyles said it, and it's true. Sometimes you pick up a cowboy boot for an oddball reason, a goofy little boot in crappy condition. I've held on to these Acmes for years just because of the colors. Someday I will live and work in room that's painted these colors... two colors of brown, a worn red and a creamy white. A room with a wood floor and rounded edges .

Elvis

Made by one of the Trujilio brothers in the 1950's, these cowboy boots are fondly known as the "Elvis Boots" ...although, really the name inlaid on the front is "Ellis."

They are beautiful and beat-up boots. The inlay is surrounded by tiny stitches in variegated thread. I can tell the design was carefully planned out by the tightly packed top, but the grassy green stitches along the edge of the vamp give it a playful improvised look.

The vamp musta been something to see, before some misguided soul inked over the red inlay. I guess he had his reasons.

Believe it or not, I own these boots. They were a generous gift from Bryce Sunderlin... who bought them from Tyler Beard years ago. These boots were photographed in The Art of the Boot (p. 37) and Cowboy Boots (p. 107.) I got them this summer, or they would have been in my book too.

True West Magazine

This month's True West magazine has a great article, "Can't Kick the Boot Addiction," written by Johnny D. Boggs. Look for it on your newsstands or order your copy online.

Is there a cure? Johnny's article offers insights and advice on the widespread "problem" of cowboy boot addiction, with revealing quotes from Jim Arndt and yours truly.

How many pairs do you own? (Use the comments section below to fess up.)

Cowboy Boot Labels (con't)

Me: (browsing the boots on the display table at the Bootmaker Round-Up.)
Mark F.: Hey there... you taking photos of all the labels?
Me: Uh, yeah ...right. Yep. Sure am!

Thanks Mark!

(Many of the photos are courtesy of LDPNDP, one of my favorite eBay sellers.)

More places to find vintage boots

Yes, at long last I've updated my page of vintage cowboy boot dealers.

The key to vintage boots is to act fast. Call or e-mail the dealer with questions...don't bookmark a page expecting to find a boot where you left it. And unfortunately, when vintage boots are gone, they're really gone. No such thing as "backordered."

Check out the vintage boots at Cowboy Legends. Cowboy Legends now offers free shipping and easy returns on all its vintage boots. When it comes to fit, eBay is always such a crapshoot.

Photo courtesy of Cayuse Western Americana.

Cowboy Boot Collections

Here are a few of web pages I've been enjoying lately.

One is a vintage cowboy boot blog called "Man In the Crowd" written by James Davis. Even though I enjoy pages like the Custom & Vintage Boot Collectors' Topic, it's a treat to visit James' blog which focuses on a single, personal, cowboy boot collection. Good photos, good information. Click on the photos for closer look...and leave a comment behind if you like.

...another is a website full of boot jacks. The site (which is slow to load) belongs to bootmaker Frank English and includes boot jacks of all types...buggy, naughty, wooden, old, hinged and horned. Personally, I like the snake.

Win a Prize!

Thanks to everyone who's bought my book.

I'm eager to hear what you think of it. So ...I'm sponsoring a contest*.

Post a review of my book, Cowboy Boots: The Art & Sole on Amazon.com and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a HARDCOVER copy of the 1981 classic, Texas Boots (which, when you can find it... retails for $75-$200.)

This 1st prize hardcover copy of Texas Boots will be given away in a random drawing among those who post reviews. Criticism of my book will not hurt your chances of winning. Your chances of winning depends on the number of reviews posted and entries received. Short, one-line reviews are a-okay with me.

2nd prize will be a paperback edition of Texas Boots in excellent condition. This prize goes to my "favorite" review...which could be something instructional, insightful, funny...who knows?!

*Here are the rules:

1. Post a review of Cowboy Boots: The Art & Sole on Amazon.com.
2. Send me an e-mail with the name you used for your review and your mailing address .
3. Your review must be posted and you must e-mail me (jenn@dimlights.com) on or before Sept 15th, 2007. Midnight, PST.

Here's the fine print: I will pay the shipping costs associated with these prizes. The hardcover copy of Texas Boots is in very good condition, but is missing its paper dust jacket.

Makers' Marks

Factory-made? Custom made? Take a peek inside the secret language of cowboy boot labels, signature stitches and inking. I've posted a bunch of photos of cowboy boot labels and signature stitches on Flickr. I'm hoping it's a help to boot collectors and a tribute to makers.

Move your mouse over the photos to view extra notes and info.

Add your own photos to Flickr and join the fun! Points awarded for artistic merit. (If you run into to trouble you can e-mail me your photos and I will post them.)

Lotto

I just bought a $3 copy of Texas Boots from abebooks.com.

When it showed up... it turned out to be a hardcover copy! Woo hoo!! JACKPOT!

Book Buying

I'm a much happier person now, since I gave up trying to buy books on eBay.

If I do find a book on eBay (BUY NOW at $35.95)... I go straight over to abebooks.com to search for the same title.

This time, I was looking for a copy of "Shoe Repairing" by Henry Karg. At abebooks, I found multiple editions at reasonable prices for both hard and softcover copies.

I own one other shoe repair book. I picked this book because I want to read it's advice on "The repairman as a businessman." and...

Chapter 14: Operation and Maintenance of Shoe Machinery. (Including...curved needle stitcher, straight needle stitcher and patching machine) General operation, rules to observe, trouble chart, replenishing thread, causes or broken/stranded thread, and causes of broken needles.

I actually bought two copies... one 1947 edition and another 1975 edition. (I want to see if there are any differences between the two.) I paid less for my two copies, then the one on eBay.

Do you need a copy of that old Texas Boot Book?

Vintage Cowboy Boots with an Eagle Inlay

"Eagle boots" were insanely popular during the early 1950's. In large part because of the patriotism and prosperity our country felt following World War II, but also because of big western stars like Roy Rogers (remembered for his wide-winged eagle inlays in red, white and blue.)

Pictured here is a great pair of vintage boots. The eagle is made by overlaying leather in two colors, gold and green...on top of the boot's white vamp. This is the best "eagle toe" I have ever seen. [zoom]

What makes it so great?

• The cut-outs mimick the shape of the boot's toe...going from wide to narrow somewhat gradually.
• The toe design is bold to balance the heavily inlayed top and mule ear* ...even without the bird's head, the overlay makes a great "wing"tip.
• The eagle's head sits well above the wrinkles across the vamp at the boot. It's unfortunate how often wrinkles and folds wreck the detail of the beak and eye.
• The row of yellow stitiching provides a nice sharp outline. Even after all these years.

Remember! An eagle on a toe of a boot does not need to be an exact match for the eagle on your boot top.

On this pair, the bird on the toe has narrow wings that reach high over his head. The eagle on the top has widespead veined wings, almost like a butterfly.

(* You get to see the entire boot in April 2007 when my book comes out.)

Photos by Jennifer June.
Boots belong to Karen Robinson.

Art of the Boot (in paperback)

Time to take your copy of Art of the Boot off the coffee table... and tuck it into the bookshelf. This hardcover classic is now out of stock and out of print.

Art of the Boot is now available in paperback and priced at $15.72 (That's less half it's previous cover price.) This book's full color pages measure a generous 8½ x 10½" ...which means the Jim Arndt photos inside give you details so clear ...you can count the rows of stitches on nearly every pair!

Originally released in 1999, this book profiles 28 of America's finest bootmakers, and includes examples from the work of many others. The cowboy boots were borrowed from museum and personal collections, and this book allows us a rare chance to stare, ponder and admire these intricate designs.

You can read a sample chapter of this book by visiting the Texas Monthly website.

Stay on the lookout. There are often reasonably priced hardcover editions of Art of the Boot available from Abebooks.com... or for for something truly special, contact Back at the Ranch which often has signed copies of Tyler Beard's books.

(The page shown below is a peek at the signed copy Tyler sent me.)

P.S. The book How The West was Worn is also in paperback. (Click here for more great books about cowboy boots)

Don't you love surprises?

Recently, I bought a copy of Miss Enid: The Lady Texas Bootmaker. I paid $30 'cuz it was rumored to be hardcover with its paper dust jacket still in very good condition.

When I got it I found it had been signed by the author, Dale Terry... also inside was a little slip of paper with Enid Justin's signature. Wow! (zoom)

Miss Enid founded the Nocona Boot Company in 1925... staying put in Nocona, Texas when her brothers took Justin Boots to Fort Worth. She ran Nocona Boots straight through wartime shortages and two failed marriages ...and yes, with every divorce sprang a new cowboy boot business competitor. (Okay, the gossip is about 70 years old now, but it sure is a good read.) Miss Enid was a brave and remarkable business woman.

With only a thousand copies printed, don't feel left out. Ask you local librarian if she/he can track down a copy for you.

While writing my book, I've rediscovered the power, economy and efficiency of the interlibrary loan. Books, past magazine articles...because you can't find everything you need on the web.

Gotta go, I'm off to the library.

Reference: JUSTIN, Enid, and Dale TERRY. Miss Enid: The Texas Lady Bootmaker. Austin: Nortex Press, 1985