Like most good Texans, I’ve seen lonesome dove more times than I can count. I’ve probably watched it more than any movies except for maybe Young Guns II.

This past fall i was at a family gathering and my cousins ( who are hippies from Portland) told me about how much they loved the book. Figuring that if it impressed them, I would like it so I ordered it up.

The book is way, way better than the miniseries. Bill Wittliff did an amazing job adapting the screenplay but the book goes so much further into character development and has a lot of content not suitable for late 1980’s public tv.

I will also say that after reading the book, the miniseries was cast pretty darn well.

I won’t go into too many details but Po Campo is a great character they just didn’t have time to devote to in the movie.

Pea Eye is still a simpleton in the book like the movie.

The bum steer in the book is July Johnson. He is the king of Simps. I wasn’t crazy about him in the movie but he is even more dislikable in the book. A real wiener.

Call is more of an arsehole than portrayed in the movie. Great character but he is actually a pretty self centered and selfish individual.

Now I’m moving on to the streets of Laredo. Wondering how I’ll like this one, I’ve seen the movie I think twice ( I do not like James Garner ) and as it was written 8 years later after lonesome dove, am wondering if the novel was rushed or if as much thought was out into it as the first novel. I question it because in the sequel Lorena marries Pea Eye, who is as intelligent and exciting as a burlap sack and goes to great lengths to avoid women in the first novel. Now he ends up with what is considered to be the prize of the prairie by most folks in “Lonesome Dove”. Interested to see how that came to pass

Agree that the book is better than the movie. I have all the novels - Dead Man's Walk is prob my favorite.

Anything for Billy is another great book by McMurtry. Not part of the Lonesome Dove series but great nonetheless. So is Zeke and Ned.

It’s been many years since I read it, but I remember it being an exceptional book.

I liked Comanche Moon even better.

Dead Man's Walk is a prequel also

Larry McMurtry, an American novelist wrote Lonesome Dove. He has several other books you would enjoy as well. Tearms of Endearment, maybe not so much. Lol.

I read it before the show came out.

It really was better than the show.

I'm a huge Lonesome Dove fan as well, and have also watched the movie more times than I can count. Our lease it right outside Archer City and have visited his library/book store a few times.

I haven't read Streets of Laredo, but a buddy of mine who is just as big as a fan as I am about Lonesome Dove did read it. He advised me not to. I don't remember his exact words but said something to the effect that it was a dark and sad read. I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't go into more details, but my mom even got me a signed copy of it a few years back and I just don't have the heart to open it up.

I do have a framed map of the Lonesome Dove trail they took to Montana in our house - it's really neat if you haven't seen one. I'll post a pic of it a little later.

Forgot I already had them on my phone!

That’s really neat.

Books are always better. Just can’t get into the details in a movie. Great book I’ve read it.

I’ve seen that map a time or two.

Always thought it strange that lonesome dove was basically in San Ygnacio / Zapata. That’s pretty far south.

In the movie the setting was filmed in Del Rio on the moody ranch. Still south Texas-ish bit not the same.

Southwest corner of Loftin and McMurtry rds in Windthorst is where he grew up.

I don't think any of his books have happy endings. He is OG of "everybody dies"

I’ll read it and report back.

Gonna be hard to get James Garners smug look out of my mind but I’ll do my best

I’ve read it 3 times, may have to read it again now that you brought it up😀. And, I always liked James Garner, but think he was mis-cast as Call in Streets. But, nobody could top the original Gus and Call.

Call=Charles Goodnight
McCrae=Oliver Loving
Deets=Bose Ikard

As mentioned above, "Anything for Billy" is very good as well.

From what I understand, he was a good guy in real life. But his onscreen presence was terrible. His character in Maverick was a smug SOB and he was again in Fire in the Sky.

But yes, couldn’t top Tommy Lee as Capt. Call

They did nail the casting for the screenplay.

That applies to so many "characters," famous people, people covered in the news, people "everybody loves," etc. One took a little post office in south Gillespie County and made it a tourist destination/trap.

Most of the saints nobody ever hears about. We're surrounded by them. I know a few, and I still can't figure out how they do it.

Loved the series as a kid and read the book probably 20 years ago and it really turned me on to the entire Lonesome Dove book series and Larry McMurtry in general. The Thalia, TX series which includes The Last Picture Show and Texasville, is great too.