On Tuesday July 30, 2024, Colorado Mesa University’s associate history and political science professor, Dr. Timothy Winegard, released a new book, and it’s already an international bestseller.
Dr. Winegard now has six published works, including a New York Times bestseller, “The Mosquito,” released in 2019. Now, after five years of research and writing, “The Horse: a Galloping History of Humanity” is available in bookstores and libraries across the world. It is ranked as the #1 New Release in Natural History on Amazon and has a 4.22 out of 5-star rating on Goodreads. The release of “The Horse” was hosted by Central Library in Grand Junction, CO. The public library often partners with a local bookstore, Out West Books, to supply book sales at events with both local and visiting authors. The company has hosted as many as 20 author events in a year, being especially filled for such events in the spring.
During the launch for “The Horse” last month, Out West Books sold 44 copies, and have sold 10 additional copies in the month following the event. Authors from Grand Junction tend to have popularity among various local book clubs and reading groups in the area, and with the release of “The Horse,” other Winegard titles have now become a more common purchase as well.
“I think the numbers show that Winegard has a following here,” said Out West Books employee Emily McCune. “The Horse has been very popular so far. And the interesting thing is, we’ve had more Mosquito books sold just because the horse is here.” Winegard’s six previous books have covered more specific historical subjects, including the Oil war, and different takes on interactions surrounding Canadians and their Indigenous Cultures. His NY Times Bestseller takes a different approach, about how human interactions with mosquitoes have changed history. “The Horse” follows a similar idea. So, why horses? According to Dr. Winegard, horses are one of the most important factors in the advancement of human society as well as of the economy.
“We remove the horse from our history, and the modern world order would look literally, completely different,” said Winegard. “The horse did everything for us: trade, travel, farming, war, migration, exchange of ideas, pathogens, spirituality, people, you name it.”
“The Horse” is a fresh and unique take on human history, and how the horse has physically and metaphorically, pushed civilization and economics forward for the past 5,000 years. It explores the development of the modern experienes that humans face, and how they are intertwined with the presence of the horse, from the spread of marijuana use and the English language, to the physical labor used to build earlier civilizations. Following the book’s release, there have been two recent events for “The Horse”. The launch was hosted by the Grand Junction’s Central Library on July 30.Another bookstore discussion was held with Dr. Winegard on August 9, 2024 in Edwards, CO, at The Bookworm of Edwards.Winegard has consistently done all of his own research and writing, but as a faculty member of Colorado Mesa University, he has been surrounded by a family of supportive and knowledgeable colleagues along the way.
“My office was next to the copy room, so we chatted regularly as he was copying pages from references for the project. He often loved to pop into my office and share whatever arcane knowledge he discovered in his research,” said CMU Political Science Professor Dr. Tim Casey. In addition to explaining various fun facts and run-downs of new discoveries from his research, Winegard would also talk with colleagues about some of the more specialized subject matters, like study of genomes and DNA analyses.
“There is some biology and science at the beginning dealing with evolution and how the horse became this kind of superpower or super status animal, but it’s a history book first and foremost.” said Winegard. On the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 11, Turn the Page with Colorado Matters will be holding a live discussion with Senior Host of Colorado Public Radio News (CPR News) Ryan Warner and Dr. Winegard,at 6 p.m. in Love Recital Hall. Tickets are free, but required, and can be found on the Colorado Matters website. As for any future releases, Winegard says he is always brewing more ideas for new research. He loves to immerse himself into a new topic, find primary sources and explore history from new perspectives. Whether you’re someone who enjoys history, or you just need a new book to read, Dr. Winegard is a well-written, knowledgeable and creative storyteller.
“He has an immense intellect, a raging curiosity, and a systematic approach to understanding our past that makes this not only a well researched and comprehensive history, but also a real delight to read,” said Casey.
If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. Winegard’s new book, cpr.org/event/turn-the-page-with-colorado-matters-the-horse/ is an excellent resource, or you can check out a hard copy of “The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity” from a local library.
August Jones
Staff Writer
