The Big Sky, By and By

Here, for the first time, is the collected work of one of Montana's leading journalists, Ed Kemmick. In these timeless pieces spanning Kemmick's award-winning career, he tells a contemporary story of Montana through the eyes of everyday, extraordinary people who define the rugged individuality and big-hearted kindness of the Big Sky State. Among the tales are those of Dobro Dick, the traveling troubadour from Livingston; Maryona Johnson, who ran a brothel in Miles City; Shirley Smith, the cowboy curator from Fromberg who meticulously maintains the state's rodeo traditions; and Evel Knievel, who even in death gave his hometown of Butte another thrill (and a hell of an afterparty). On every page, Kemmick, the "City Lights" columnist at The Billings Gazette, brings humor and deep empathy to his subjects, making them every bit as vivid for readers as they were when Kemmick sat down to talk with them.