Bruce Wexler

John Wayne is the most iconic cowboy actor of all time, even now, thirty years after his death. His unique style brilliantly characterized a whole troupe of western characters, from rancher to cowboy to sheriff to scout, and left his fans with numerous popular sayings like "That'll be the day" and "Pilgrim." During his long career--in which he starred in over 175 films--Wayne's work became fundamental to our understanding of the Old West. But how much of what we saw in his movies was "real?" In John Wayne's Wild West, learn about The Duke's extraordinary influence on our understanding of the West. Also, learn about the equipment, weapons, clothes, tack, boots, and other paraphernalia featured in Wayne's Westerns, including his personal favorite gun, the Winchester carbine.
With 100 color photographs of The Duke and detailed information on his movies--both the ones he starred in and the ones he directed--and contributions from the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, John Wayne's Wild West is the book for fans of John Wayne movies and history buffs alike.… (mer)

Really nice color close-ups that show the work and customizations of instruments used by the most famous guitarists and bassists. The musicians include Bill Haley, Brian Setzer, Kurt Cobain, Brian May, B.B. King, Randy Rhodes...yep, there are fifty of them. They photography is super and each guitar has a highly detailed amount of technical info about its make-up and sound quality, while the musician gets a career bio and info pertaining to their guitar preference.
Kinda surprising that some really famous musicians were left off, like Carl Perkins, Eddie Van Halen and Rick Nielson, while a couple of guys from a band called The Shadows (never heard of 'em) were included. Coolest guitar: Brian Setzer's Gretsch 66120 with it's wide body and dice control knobs. Most surprising: the Red Special Brian May has been playing for decades was made by him and his father, and the reproduction put out by Burns London is made out of basswood, which is one of the softest woods and I'd never think it would work for a guitar.… (mer)