AUTHENTIC COSTUMES AND CHARACTERS OF THE WILD...

AUTHENTIC COSTUMES AND CHARACTERS OF THE WILD WEST by E. Lisle Reedstrom (Sterling Publishing: $14.95). Reedstrom’s careful research makes his attractive book a useful reference for anyone interested in period costumes for theater, films or Halloween parties. The paintings and antique photographs offer easy-to-follow models, and the preface includes a list of companies that manufacture authentic Western gear. Unfortunately, the odd, enthusiastic text romanticizes the West in ways that tend to reinforce popular stereotypes. Reedstrom concludes his discussion of the hunters who nearly exterminated the bison, “If nothing else can be said of the hide-hunter, we can credit him for clearing the plains for the cattleman; supplying the railroad crews with food and robes; providing the army with leather and buffalo coats; simplifying the Indian problem; and broadening research for finer weapons and ammunition.”