Prineville author Rick Steber, seen here in a 2019 photo, is known for his Western and historical writing.

A Prineville author is saying the High Desert Museum banned his books as part of a politically motivated attack, but the Bend museum said the author’s books simply do not sell in its gift shop, so it decided to discontinue carrying them.

Rick Steber, 75, the owner of Rick Steber-MAKERS in Prineville, and an author known for his books detailing the history of the Western United States, wrote in a Facebook post that the museum banned his books from its Silver Sage Trading gift shop and called the decision “heavy-handed censorship.”

The museum said that’s not the case at all.

“He says that we’re banning his books. In reality, we’re simply not carrying them anymore. Mr. Steber’s framing of this situation was inflammatory, inaccurate and unfortunate,” Heidi Hagemeier, director of communication at the museum, said in a prepared statement.

Hagemeier said the museum decided to discontinue new purchases of Steber’s books based on a broader inventory of the store’s offerings and their profitability.

“We appreciate Mr. Steber’s work over the years and applaud him for having sold more than 2 million copies of his books,” Hagemeier said. “But the fact remains that of the tens of thousands of books sold in our Silver Sage Trading gift shop over the past decade, less than 1% of them have been authored by Mr. Steber.”

Hagemeier said the museum’s executive director, Dana Whitelaw, spoke directly with Steber about the decision. But the museum’s account of the conversation varies greatly from Steber’s account shared on social media, Hagemeier said.

According to Steber’s post, Whitelaw told him the museum is not banning his books, but has decided to no longer carry them in its gift shop because the museum is working to promote authors who advocate for social justice.

“I know my books sell,” Steber told The Bulletin. “They could have picked what they wanted to carry, but instead they banned me.”

Steber called the decision “a political move.”

“It was directed at me and it shows what direction the High Desert Museum is headed, and I don’t agree with that at all,” he said.

Steber said part of the museum’s decision is because of his decision to not follow state mandated COVID-19 protocol during the early part of the pandemic. He chose to keep his business open despite not being designated an essential business.

“I think I pissed off the left, and I think this is how they are lashing out at me,” Steber said. “I’ve had enough. I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’m not going to put up with it.”

Hagemeier reiterated the museum’s commitment to sharing a broad range of perspectives and stories about the High Desert region, and that the museum is committed to the idea that people can have different viewpoints and also respect one another.

“We do not believe, however, that characterizing the stocking of a revenue-generating gift shop even remotely stems from ‘draconian censorship’ as Mr. Steber claims,” Hagemeier said.

Hagemeier said the museum’s mission “includes making sure the Silver Sage Trading gift shop contains a wide selection of retail products that are at once appealing to our patrons, connected to our current exhibitions and programs, and revenue generating for the Museum.”