John Wayne: There Rode a Legend

I keep looking at this book and learn something new every time I look at it.

This book is a book Mr. Wayne would have enjoyed. The pictures and text is excellent. The true cowboys of the west were not of the moral statue of Mr. Waynes Movie roles but they should have been. Yes he made some less than able pictures but they were rare. And of the many western stars - ie- Mcrea, Scott, Ford, Holden. Lancaster, Cooper, Flynn- they were very good but John Wayne star shines greater and will forever. He was the embodiment of the Western American. He was what young boys hoped to become, and grownup they regretted never becoming!!!! Thank you Mr. Wayne for your life in films.

Enhanced with a foreword by actress Maureen O'Hara, and graced with an informative text by Jane Pattie, John Wayne: There Rode A Legend is a gorgeous, superbly illustrated coffee table book showcasing the life, career, movies, deeds, and memories of the world famous actor John Wayne, best known for his many classic American West movies. Filled with both color photographs and black-and-white television and movie stills from before the firm establishment of color TV, John Wayne: There Rode A Legend is a remarkable tour of and tribute to the actor's life and work, from the 30's to the 60's. Of special note are the highlights that reveal John Wayne's humanitarian legacy, from when he had a gravely ill Navajo girl flown to a hospital 100 miles away on his personal plane to the creation of the John Wayne Cancer Institute years after the great actor's death from stomach cancer. John Wayne: There Rode A Legend is beyond compare and enthusiastically recommended for Western film buffs and the legions of fans of a truly unique actor and his enduring work.

All I can say about this book is that it is the best book out there about our national treasure, John Wayne. He is as popular today as he has ever been and it was a pleasure to find this book through a friend. It's a huge book, with great, rare photographs about Duke's West. I had read some of the other reviews, and I was also not aware that Duke was a cattle rancher in real life. The book is brimming over with great art and photographs. If your looking for a gift for a friend or just to give yourself a treat, this is the book for you. I was impressed as much as the great 'impressiveness' of the book.

I'm not the review writing type, but this title deserves the merit. This book is not just for John Wayne fans but for those who just enjoy superbly produced books. This title is a knockout and I would highly recommend it. There is so much in it about Duke that I didn't know existed, and I certainly didn't know he owned 83,000 head of cattle. Great book - great buy.

My dad loves John Wayne, which is why I picked up this book as a Father's Day gift. He is going to absoutely love it! I expected a simple coffee table book and got a technicolor heirloom. There are a wealth of personal stories and photographs of the Duke and his life as an on-screen Western genre star as well as a real life cowboy (I didn't know he was a rancher and breeder of purebred Hereford cattle!) I laughed out loud at several of the stories and cried after reading how John Wayne saved a small Navajo girl with pneumonia by lending his own airplane to fly the girl to the hospital one hundred miles away. Reading this book was like looking through John Wayne's personal scrap book. I highly recommend it -- it's going to make a great Father's Day gift!