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Book details

A book on the making of Lonesome dove

by John Spong

Published 2012164 pagesISBN 978-0-2927-3584-2

Widely acclaimed as the greatest Western ever made, Lonesome Dove has become a true American epic. Larry McMurtrys Pulitzer Prizewinning novel was a New York Times best seller, with more than 2.5 million copies currently in print. The Lonesome Dove miniseries has drawn millions of viewers and won numerous awards, including seven Emmys. A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove takes you on a fascinating behind-the-scenes journey into the creation of the book, the miniseries, and the world of Lonesome Dove. Writer John Spong talks to forty of the key people involvedauthor Larry McMurtry; actors Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Ricky Schroder, D. B. Sweeney, Frederic Forrest, and Chris Cooper; executive producer and screenwriter Bill Wittliff; executive producer Suzanne de Passe; and director Simon Wincer. They and a host of others tell lively stories about McMurtrys writing of the epic novel and the process of turning it into the miniseries Lonesome Dove. Accompanying their recollections are photographs of iconic props, costumes, set designs, and shooting scripts. Rounding out the book are continuity Polaroids used during filming and photographs taken on the set by Bill Wittliff, which place you behind the scenes in the middle of the action. Designed as a companion for A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove, Wittliff's magnificent fine art volume, A Book on the Making of Lonesome Doveis a must-have for every fan of this American epic. Designed as a companion for A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove, Wittliffs magnificent fine art volume, A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove is a must-have for every fan of this American epic.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.

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Themes to notice

Fiction

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Content notes

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Reading experience

Dark tone · Urgent pace

Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.

Who it may suit

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Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.

At a glance

This book's DNA

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ToneDark
LuminousDark

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Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc

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A book on the making of Lonesome doveJohn Spong
Powerful5/5

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A quick reading snapshot

Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.

Reading lengthA shorter read164 pages in this edition
Publication eraModernFirst published or edition dated 2012
Primary categoryFictionExplore similar books below
ISBN-13
978-0-2927-3584-2
Language
English
Edition record
OL25132461M
BookenDeX editorial lens

A more thoughtful way into this book

This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.

Good to know

Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.

Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.

Try this reading approach

Read for connection, not completion.

Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.

Three questions to carry with you

  1. What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
  2. Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
  3. What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?

Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.