Don Coldsmith (1926-2009) was the Spur Award-winning author of more than thirty-five books, including his renowned Spanish Bit saga. After serving as a combat medic in the Pacific during World War II, Coldsmith served as a physician in Emporia, Kansas, until 1988 when he closed his office to devote himself to writing. Coldsmith was voted one of the greatest western writers of the twentieth century by the Western Writers of America.