We noted recently that the likes of Jack Carr are doing a great service in promoting reading among men, whose interest in cracking a book has plummeted across recent decades. I will always promote reading as a key masculine trait.
As Louis L’Amour said:
“For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.”
Joe Velasquez painted a wonderful scene of Mountain Men delving into “A Tale From Another Time.”
A Tale From Another Time by Joe Velasquez.
Many of the Mountain Men of the Fur Trade era were literate. Books were treasured and enjoyed. Osborne Russell, a young man of 20 years, wrote in his journal that during the winter of 1839-1840 while at Fort Hall “We had some few books to read such as Byron’s, Shakespeare’s and Scott’s works, the Bible and Clark’s Commentary on it and other small works on Geology, Chemistry and Philosophy.”
For many of these men, when visiting trading posts, forts or meeting other expeditions, new reading material was eagerly sought out.
In this painting, a trapper reads aloud to his comrades an enthralling tale from another time.
Daniel Boone carried a copy of Gulliver’s Travels on his long hunts, sharing those fantastical tales with his comrades. Kinda like packing some Robert E. Howard out into the woods. Love it.
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We have often noted in these pages that the best way to achieve “diversity” and “representation” in historical drama is to simply tell stories that lend themselves to it. There are many such tales to be told. I am most pleased to see Chief of War on the horizon.
Per Deadline:
Apple TV+ has set Friday, August 1 for the premiere of Jason Momoa’s new historical drama series Chief of War. The series will launch with its first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through September 19. The streamer also released a first-look photo, which you can see above.
With a predominantly Polynesian cast led by Momoa, Chief of War follows the unification and colonization of Hawai’i from an indigenous point of view. Momoa portrays warrior Ka’iana, as he tries to unify the islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.
Adventurer, sailor and enigma. James Keziah Delaney returned unexpectedly from Africa after 10 years presumed dead. Shrouded in mystery and preceded by wild rumours.
James Keziah Delaney is a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father’s shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father’s legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder, and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.
I still need to get me a Nootka Sound Trading Co. t-shirt…
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Rock Island Auction Co. just announced that the Single Action Colt Army known as Black Beauty sold for $1.4 million at auction. Holy smokes! The Colt dates to the 1880s, cut by American engraver, L.D. Nimschke.
The Colt was engraved for Mexican President Jose Manuel del Refugio Gonzalez Flores, who served one term in between terms served by Porfirio Diaz in the Porfiriato. Gonzales essentially followed Diaz policies emphasizing economic development and foreign investment. Diaz came back to the presidency after Gonzalez, and would not relinquish it until the Mexican Revolution of 1910 pushed him out.
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The wars fought by the British Special Air Service (SAS) and other special operations units over the past half century were, perforce, covert — and nasty. As irregular warfare inevitably is. Operators have found themselves caught in a rolling legal mire, especially as regards Northern Ireland. Damien Lewis posted up an article in Country Squire Magazine that calls this phenomenon to account.
Across Britain’s security apparatus — from armed forces personnel to counter-terrorist police and intelligence operatives — veterans find themselves harried and harassed from pillar to post. They face unending inquiries into historical events that have already been investigated and cleared through judicial or statutory processes. These examinations sometimes span more than half a century, with elderly veterans repeatedly called to recount long-past events.
Robin Horsfall, SAS, South Armagh, 1978.
It is particularly onerous that these veterans should be placed in this position when the adversary they had to contend with called the dance — and have in many ways escaped the same kind of accountability. Indeed, there are IRA men (denials aside) who have played the role of “statesmen” and have never been called to account.
Our enemies play by different rules — or none at all. They’ve murdered politicians, police officers, and civilians; bombed public spaces; conducted sectarian killings; and in recent years, perpetrated mass-casualty attacks through suicide bombings and public executions…
…The government cites ‘transitional justice’ requirements, particularly regarding Northern Ireland. However, this process is fundamentally flawed — while state actors must comply under threat of legal penalty, paramilitaries face no such obligation. This creates an unbalanced system that privileges former terrorists over Crown servants.
All this risks eroding capabilities. Who wants to serve at risk of revisionist harassment and legal jeopardy?
Matthew says
About masculinity, I think us males are not so much as biologically incline to be masculine as much as to WANT to be masculine. We have to be made by force of will or circumstance or something into men. (Women by contrast are thrust into womanhood by their biology. They have periods and get pregnate et cetera.) That’s why, for example, the Massai, make their young men fight lions. So they become men. I think stories whether written or oral are important. They can give men an example on what they should be. Which is why men should read books.
Diversity is good or bad on how you handle it. Hopefully, Mamoa’s series will be good.
That the SAS, whatever they might have done in Northern Ireland, faces consequences and the IRA does not is abhorrent.
Rick Schwertfeger says
Masculinity is quite a current issue for all of us in 21st century America. I, of course, concur with the centrality of reading to a well-developed, well-rounded person. And current explorations of the meaning of masculinity go into many other aspects. Indigenous health and wellness educator Thosh Collins really went into it on a podcast last month. I found this whole podcast interesting and valuable. But his strong addressing of masculinity is in the later part of the podcast. Recommended: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-seven-circles-for-cultural-well-being-restoring/id1723768239?i=1000703886181.
JimC says
That dude can MOVE.
Rick Schwertfeger says
Re: Thosh Collins: If you want to see one fit individual doing some of his Warrior Athlete workout, here’s Collins on the day after his 43 birthday: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJIG-U1hfHC/
His YouTube Channel has numerous workouts and masculinity posts, too.
Ugly Hombre says
I don’t much get the allure of engraved guns?? 1.5 Million for a black powder cartridge only Colt that you can’t shoot much*?? Yikes.. Deep pockets can do what they want I guess. Sit by the fire look at it- smoke Cubanos and sip 100 year old whiskies. lol
The old tarantula out on that ranch in the boondock of Arizona had a collection of embellished pre- smokeless thumb busters and wanted to trade them for smokeless Mod P’s that he could shoot- to a big name collector and authenticator. Deal was not working out.
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/jim-martin-tribute-revolvers/
“Oh hell that’s Ok chit I will just make fast draw guns out of them”.
“No! No gezzee don’t do that ok ok- done deal.” lol
I can’t do the story justice… Its a fact though that some real gunfighters liked the engraved ornate guns Jeff Kidder even had pearl grips on his nickle engraved Arizona Ranger Colt. And even Jim built some damn nice fancy ones as tributes to the old timers of the west.
JimC says
That’s a great story. You will relate more to my next firearm feature…
Ugly Hombre says
Look forward to it!