Larry McMurtry Signature

My daughter is hoping to locate a signed book of Larry McMurtry but is understandably concerned about some of the variations of his signature. Can anyone tell me if either (or both) of these signatures appears to be genuine? Most listings on Ebay seem to be similar to the first example.

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on December 8, 2025 at 2:32pm

Couple questions:

1) Are you interested in a specific title (i.e. Lonesome Road) or are fine with getting any signature? If you're not picky, Abebooks has a number of signed works starting from $30 and up that have similar signature stylings, and are written in different works.

2) I've looked at McMurtry in the past and been slightly put off by how.... simple his signature is. Are you looking more for something where he wrote his whole name out, or just his initials?

To the best of my knowledge, he was a generally good signer -- there isn't a lack of options out there, but the signature makes it difficult to judge authenticity. I'd try for an inscribed copy if you're set on getting something from him.

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Permalink Reply by AustinCollector on December 8, 2025 at 2:53pm

I've collected McMurtry for a number of years. Both examples above are genuine. Later in life, a hand injury limited his ability to articulate his signature. Earlier examples will be better spelled out. There's not a huge number of forgeries out there, but best to stick with known sellers. There are a number of specialists throughout Texas.