On February 9th The Plains Trading Company Booksellers in Valentine hosted a book signing for North of the Platte. Duane and Darlene Gudgel, who own this iconic bookstore, heavily promoted the event with radio and print ads and provided attentive logistical support during the signing. We were able to renew friendships with some of the book subjects and visit with Sand Hill residents who had their own rich stories to share. The event took place during the annual Bull Bash weekend in Valentine, when pens of bulls occupy the center of Main Street. A crowd of hardy bull buyers shopped the offerings in spite of the frigid weather.
A note on The Plains Trading Company Booksellers:
The Plains Trading Company houses a lovingly selected collection any bibliophile with a taste for the American West would be proud to own. We grabbed a rare Nellie Snyder Yost volume and a brand new copy of Charles Barron McIntosh’s masterpiece The Nebraska Sand Hills: The Human Landscape, which has been out of print for several years. Since the last time we visited, Duane and Darlene have added excellent coffee and an impressive array of Nebraska wines to the amenities. If you ever find yourself within two thousand miles of Valentine, Nebraska, waste no time making a bee line for The Plains Trading Company. You’ll not regret a second spent in this sanctuary of Western literature.
