One fun thing about collecting books written by or about pioneer women is reading the titles of the books. The titles are so concisely evocative of the life that I imagine was typical of a pioneer woman — an ordinary life filled with extraordinary challenge . Here are a few I came across today while pulling books off the shelves for the fair:
They Call Me “Ma” (Ma. That’s ordinary. But 13 children? That’s extraordinary.)
Butch Cassidy, My Brother (That would certainly be challenging.)
Trailing the Teepees
Snow Covered Wagons
Home Below Hell’s Canyon (I wonder what made her want to live in a place named Hell’s Canyon. I must see this place in person some day.)
Homestead on the Hillside
The Wake of the Prairie Schooner
The Martins of Gunbarrel
Incidents on Land and Water, Or, Four Years on the Pacific Coast, Being a Narrative of the Burning of the Ships Nonantum, Humayoon and Fanchon, Together with Many Startling and Interesting Adventures on Sea and Land. (Ok, this one’s not very concise but it certainly paints an image.)
Six Months in Bleeding Kansas
Over the Purple Hills of California (If you’ve seen the hills of California, you’ll know that’s their exact color.)
Letters of a Texas Oil-Driller’s Wife (I wonder how much laundry she had to do.)
It’s fun to read these titles and imagine the contents of the books inside.
Even though it’s not related to pioneer women in this case, I find it’s even more fun when an author’s name just fits the title of the book, as with the cheap paperback pictured below:
Would you want to have surgery performed by a doctor named Slaughter? 
Dr. Slaughter, ha! Reminded me: My grandfather was a dentist, and his name was Dr. Paine. My sister’s Ob/Gyn’s name is Dr. Romence. Different spellings, but still funny.
A dentist named Dr. Paine should be in business with the surgeon named Dr. Slaughter! Those names are great.
I know (of) another Dr. Pa(i/y)ne, D.D.S.
Up here in The Canada there was also a physician named Dr. Death, though he was in the process of changing the spelling to better reflect the pronunciation, and synch up with the rest of his family, who had already adopted Deeth.
[...] 122 Wanted: Extremely Rare Book By or About Pioneer Woman I wrote recently about all of the interesting titles of books written by or about women pioneers, those brave souls [...]