Montana, Warts and All is as big and wild and quirky as the state itself.

Don't look here for profiles of trophy homes. You won't find them. What you will find is the real deal: Montanans wrestling a living from hard ground, doing what they can to keep the place wild and livable for people and beasts, telling truths, helping each other, keeping their small towns alive against all odds.

Pulled from the first decade of Montana Quarterly, the state's most honored magazine, these are stories by veteran writers unafraid to grab a paddle, crawl in a hole, or stare down the ghosts of war or drug abuse or memory. Their eyes are clear. And they don't forget to have some laughs along the way.

It's about real life in a real place, warts and all.