a Horse's tale
What's in a name?
In 1906, the year of the big San Francisco earthquake, Mark Twain published a two-part short novel titled "A Horse's Tale" in the pages of Harper's Monthly Magazine. The August and September issues are filled with stories from other authors such as Joseph Conrad and, oddly, little about the devastating quake the previous April. The short novel was also published separately as a book the following October, as it was quite popular. In the story, Twain uses the narrative voice of Buffalo Bill Cody's favorite horse, Soldier Boy, to tell a story of the life and times at a fictional western outpost.
Twain's daughter, Susy, who had died at the age of 24 from spinal meningitis ten years earlier, was the inspiration for the lead character, Cathy, who as an orphan is adopted by the General. It is an interesting story, written by Twain at the request of Minnie Maddern Fiske, a popular actress and social activist. The story is, among other things, an indictment of animal cruelty, particularly bullfighting. A little known work by Samuel Clemens and worth the read. -DMc
The Horse's Roundup
Artwork featured on our main label and website is created by South Carolina artist Phil M. Garrett.
Phil's affinity with horses is a personal and spiritual reflection. His body of work incorporates horses, among other natural elements, and his time spent in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area.
Phil's work can be seen at his own website www.philgarrett.com which displays many of his recent works, particularly the monotype series with his beautiful, mystical and spiritual horses. A good friend of Dave and Bonnie's, Phil's work appears as a feature of Horse Tale Wines on the website and wine bottle labels by generous permission. He is happy to receive visitors at his spacious Mill Springs, North Carolina studio, situated in an old 1930s era school building. Set up an appointment.
Cover illustration for A Horse's Tale book, published in 1907 by Lucius Wolcott Hitchcock.
Twain used the literary device of an animal's first person narrative in a previous publication, "A Dog's Tale," which appeared three years earlier in Harper's Magazine. A derivative version of Hitchcock's illustration is used on our labels as well.