My Dogs & Guns

"Blue and Some Other Dogs" is a brilliant memoir about Graves' Basque-Australian sheep dog. "Guns of a Lifetime" tells the stories related to the guns this octogenarian Texan has owned, beginning with a "rusted and cylinderless" revolver. "So here are the stories," Graves writes. "They are not all ‘nice’ tales in contemporary terms. Political correctness, as presently defined, may be perpetrated here and there, though I hope no parts will seem like the maunderings of a Deep South redneck. But if they do, the hell with it. I am too old to fret about such matters." It’s delightful writing from a treasure of a writer.

This memorable book by one of our finest writers chronicles two passions: one for a dog named Blue, another for the "guns of a lifetime."

John Graves lives and writes in Glen Rose, Texas, in the hard scrabble country that has inspired so much of his work. He is a recipient of many honors for his writing, including a National Book Award nomination for Goodbye to a River.