Few books have touched the West quite like Lonesome Dove, the story of retired Texas Rangers driving cattle during the closing out of the Old West in the 1870s. It’s a book that has inspired countless paintings and sculptures and is frequently in art libraries of many great Western artists.
Larry McMurtry’s famed Hermes 3000 typewriter, one of several from his Archer City, Texas home. Estimate: $5/10,000
Lonesome Dove’s author, Larry McMurty, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1985 for the book. His other hits were Terms of Endearment, The Last Picture Show and the screenplay (he was a cowriter with Diana Ossana) for Brokeback Mountain.
McMurtry died in 2021 at the age of 84. His family will be offering his estate to bidders through Vogt Auction on May 29 in San Antonio, Texas. The sale will include around 400 lots. Key items in the sale are several writing desks used by the author in his two homes—one home in Phoenix and also his sprawling residence in Archer City, Texas.
Writing desk used by Larry McMurtry at his Archer City home. Estimate: $1/3,000
The auction will also have 14 typewriters used by the iconic writer. All 14 are Hermes 3000 typewriters, and all were used by the author at various places and points of his career.
Larry McMurtry’s boots. Estimate: $500/1,000
Rob Vogt, director of Vogt Auction, says McMurtry was an influential figure in the West, particularly Texas. “No question. He was a lifelong Texan and what he was able to provide to our particular lifestyle and land is immeasurable. He became an ambassador to the whole United States because he was able to capture an iconic story of the West,” Vogt says. “I’m a Texan and I grew up with his stories. His journey was incredible. It might sound sentimental, but it’s totally true. Lonesome Dove in particular has been a cornerstone to the Texas mythos and it has proven to be incredibly enduring within the culture of the West.” —
Larry McMurtry Estate Sale
May 29, 2023
Vogt Auctions, 7233 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 865-8648, www.vogtauction.com
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