Bill Wittliff (1940–2019)

Bill Wittliff was himself a publisher long before the University of Texas Press began working with him in 1996 on two series that drew from the Collections he founded at Texas State University. The Southwestern & Mexican Photography Series, for which he served as editor for two decades, included eighteen books, showcasing work from the likes of Keith Carter, Kate Breakey, Rocky Schenck, Graciela Iturbide, Mariana Yampolsky, and Mary Ellen Mark. Wittliff’s Southwestern Writers Collection, also housed at Texas State, was the foundation of a second series with the Press. Also founded in 1996, the series included twenty-nine books with such Texas writers as John Graves, Bud Shrake, Larry L. King, Prudence MacIntosh, and Steve Harrigan, among many others.

A prolific photographer, Wittliff authored or coauthored four books with his images for UT Press: Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy (2004); La Vida Brinca: A Book of Tragaluz Photographs (2006), A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove (2007), and A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove (2012). Late in his career, Wittliff began writing a memoir that evolved into a fictional series of books he called the Papa Stories: The Devil’s Backbone (2014), The Devil’s Sinkhole (2016), and The Devil’s Fork (2018) were inspired by stories he heard as a child growing up in Texas.

In all, Bill Wittliff and the University of Texas Press collaborated on more than fifty books. It is a measure of his contribution to Texas letters that, even if none of those titles had been published, Wittliff would still be an icon, renowned for his collection, his screenwriting, his photography, and his own Encino Press. The Press is deeply saddened by his passing, and forever grateful for the work we did together.

www.utexaspress.com

A Note to Future Me...for Father's Day

In a letter to his future self, UT Press sales representative C. J. Hoyt reveals what really makes a successful Father's Day gift—a great book! 

Hey Buddy,

Remember all those tacky gifts we bought Dad for Father's Day? The fancy dress socks. The novelty ties. That one time we gave him Stetson cologne for some reason or another. Well, that's why I'm writing you this letter. I'm guessing we have ourselves a mess of kids by now and we need to set the bar a little higher. We don't want to end up with too many socks in the drawer and smelling like a Sunday at Golden Corral on "our" Father's Day, do we? Heavens to Betsy, no! So, pay close attention.

1. First things first. Breakfast in bed. That's a given.

2. Let's face it, Future Me. We just married a vegetarian, so our barbecue intake is going to be next to nil. The best we can hope for are books with plenty of pictures.

Buy Barbecue Crossroads: Notes & Recipes from a Southern Odyssey

Buy The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love

3. By the time you read this letter, I'm guessing we've sat through roughly 150 episodes of Gilmore Girls and now it's time for a detox. Maybe this Father's Day we can sit back and relax to our favorite Western miniseries Lonesome Dove. Then again, we probably don't want to be crying in front of the kids when Deets dies, so I guess we'll just have to settle for the next best thing.

Buy A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove

Buy A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove

4. Even if they do manage to get a handle on this whole global warming thing in the future, Texas will still be one hot tamale come this time of year. How about we send the kids out on the front porch to hand-crank some ice cream while we make ourselves an ice cold margarita or three and toast to a Father's Day well done?

Buy ¡Viva Tequila!: Cocktails, Cooking, and Other Agave Adventures

5. If all else fails, ask for a hoverboard. And if those haven't been invented yet, well, I see no reason in living that long anyways.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Hoyt

Lonesome Dove on Leonard Maltin and American Cowboy's Best of 2012 lists

A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove

By John Spong

Buy it now

A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove was featured on Leonard Maltin’s Indiewire.com blog as one of his New and Noteworthy film books of 2012.

View the list at indiewire.com>>

John Spong's behind the scenes look at Lonesome Dove was also selected an Editor’s pick in American Cowboy, naturally.

View the list at americancowboy.com>>