When Outlaws And Magazines Refuse to Die!

 June 5, 2026

   For whatever reason, I sometimes like to believe I am the voice of True West, but here is my partner telling it like it is:

   "Many of you may have heard that True West is for sale, and the fact of the matter is that it's true. Bob Boze Bell and I have decided that the time has come to seek a new steward for this remarkable publication, its extensive archives, and the reputation it has built since 1953. What has not changed is our commitment to the magazine and its future. If we find the right buyer, we fully expect True West to continue thriving for generations to come. If we do not find the right buyer, you can expect the same. We have no intention of walking away from a magazine we love, a loyal subscription base that continues to support us, and an engaged audience of Western history enthusiasts who follow us across our digital platforms. Simply put, True West is not going anywhere."  

—Ken Amorosano

   I wouldn't change a word of that. And, by the way, at the end of my editorial tenure this December, I will have ridden herd on 260 covers of True West magazine. And, out of all of them, this is still my favorite:

A whopping 55% sell thru on the newsstand, 

still a record, and copies of this issue have sold for $500 each.

   Meanwhile, Buckeye Blake told me he saw a ranch in south Texas called The Crack of Noon.

Cheating Death The Outlaw Way

  We've all seen the headlines: Billy the Kid didn't die! Jesse James faked his death! And, my personal favorite: Butch Came Back From South America!

   Well, look what my friend Mark Lee Gardner found recently:

Bloody Bill Pretender, The Register, Santa Ana, California, September 1, 1928

   "Bloody Bill" lived on according to an old man who claimed he was the Bushwhacker Extraordinaire.

"How do I look, boys, dead or alive?"

—Woodie Guthrie, Poor Lazarus