What are you reading the week of June 22, 2014?

[dem in texas]

4. A Lifetime with Boots by Sam Lucchese, Jr.

I am a vintage boot collector and have looked for this out of print book for a long time. Lots of technical stuff about making boots, right down my alley, but here is a funny story from the book.

Sam Jr. had a falling out with LBJ over payment for some items he bought from Lucchese's. It took 2 years for LBJ to pay the bill, so Lucchese stop doing business with him. One day, Lucchese had one of LBJ friends come in his store to talk to him The old friend said Sam needed to start selling to LBJ again. This was after LBJ was President. The friend said, "Dammit, you just can't fight with the President of the United States. Why, if his feet got to hurting and he pushed the wrong button, we'd all be at war!" Sam agreed to go see LBJ out of respect for the office of the president. He went up to the ranch and measured LBJ and made him a new pair of boots.