First New Book Release Coming Soon!
Photograph of Merrilee Morgan Doss by Paul Jacus
Author
Merrilee Morgan Doss
Merrilee Morgan Doss, author of the new Heritage Edition of One Man’s
Collection of Early California Bits and Bridles, was born and raised on Northern
California ranches, where good horses and time-proven tack were highly
respected. A seemingly ordinary life became a golden roller coaster of
opportunities as Merrilee rode the proverbial white horse from cowboy boots to
business suits and back again. From fine bridle horses on the base of Mt. Shasta to
lunch at Tavern on the Green in Central Park; from wine at the sidewalk café in
Nice to Andalucian horse rides in Sevilla...this accomplished author always came
back to her roots and boots in the cowboy culture.
A career with McGraw-Hill introduced her to publishing and a desire to chronicle a
lifestyle and culture important to the collective history of our country. It is her
unique ability to share nuggets of information with horse enthusiasts, historians,
art collectors, and children dreaming of a cowboy lifestyle that inspired this author
to share her stories at venues such as the National Cowboy and Western Heritage
Museum. Her skillful writing chronicles the mid-century ranching/horseman lifestyle of the Richie Morgan family.
Heritage Edition
One Man’s Collection
of Early California Spade Bits
The Legacy of Richie Morgan
By Merrilee Morgan Doss
Every bit has a story to tell and especially, the iconic spade bits.
Merrilee Morgan Doss, the daughter of a
mid-century cowboy to cattleman, horseman to bridle man, Richie Morgan, has used the bits the Morgan family collected over 70 years to tell the story of the life, legacy and heritage of the northern California ranch culture.
From quitting high school in the Depression to embracing the evolution of the 21st Century, this family’s patriarch led many in the riveting adventures featured through the photographs, actual dictation to his daughter, Merrilee, and the reflections of the people met, the horses revered, and the bits that were even honored by their display on the living room walls.
Beyond the lifestyle, 151 bits, most of them historic, intricate spades, are studied in fine detail by style, engraving, maker, mouthpiece and the why it is considered a “good usin’ bit.” The shared correspondence between Richie Morgan and Eduardo Grijalva, a famous mid-century bitmaker from Mexico, adds further color and perspective.
The heritage burns strongly in the Morgan family, It has become a purpose of passion and an intensely dedicated mission as exhibited in this book…not to be read once and put away. But rather, the book is beautifully crafted as a collectible and coveted experience with the bits calling the readers back again and again with the same allure that bit Richie Morgan in his lifelong journey.
This first Heritage Edition book has been printed and will be released for sale soon. It will have you thirsting for more, anticipating the second Heritage Edition book to be released in Fall 2024.
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