The Modern Cowboy (Western Life): Second Edition: 7 - Softcover

Erickson, John R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1574411772 ISBN 13: 9781574411775

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2004

Synopsis

"The American cowboy is a mythical character who refuses to die," says author John R. Erickson. On the one hand he is a common man: a laborer, a hired hand who works for wages. Yet in his lonely struggle against nature and animal cunning, he becomes larger than life. Who is this cowboy? Where did he come from and where is he today? Erickson addresses these questions based on firsthand observation and experience in Texas and Oklahoma. And in the process of describing and defining the modern working cowboy-his work, his tools and equipment, his horse, his roping technique, his style of dress, his relationships with his wife and his employer-Erickson gives a thorough description of modern ranching, the economic milieu in which the cowboy operates. The first edition of this book was published in 1981. For this second edition Erickson has thoroughly revised and expanded the book to discuss recent developments in cowboy culture, making The Modern Cowboy the most up-to-date source on cowboy and ranch life today. "We meet the modern cowboy (his dress depends on weather, chores, and vanity) and follow him through the year: spring roundup, branding and 'working' the calves; spotting problem animals and cutting them from the herd; repairing windmills and mending fences; fall roundup, and feeding animals in winter. . . . This is a lively portrait, sure to appeal to all Western buffs."- Publishers Weekly "For a straightforward, highly readable account of today's cowboy, you can't do better. . . . Informative, engaging, and clearly the real thing."- Kirkus Reviews "Erickson has caught the ambience of the working cowboy, what he loves to do, and what he must do to keep a ranch operating day-to-day and season-to-season. In doing this, he actually provides an account of how much cowboying has changed in the hundred or so years of its existence."- Western American Literature

About this title

About the Author

John R. Erickson, a fifth-generation Texan, was born in Midland and raised in the Panhandle town of Perryton. He worked as a ranch cowboy, farm hand, and handyman while writing four hours each morning. He and his wife, Kristine, now run their own ranch and a commercial beef cattle operation. In 1982 Erickson created the Hank the Cowdog series, with sales now of more than six million copies. He is also the author of Catch Rope: The Long Arm of the Cowboy; Through Time and the Valley; LZ Cowboy: A Cowboy's Journal, 1979-1981; Panhandle Cowboy; Some Bables Grow Up To Be Cowboys; and Friends, all published by the University of North Texas Press. Kristine C. Erickson has published her photographs in numerous magazines and has illustrated seven books by Erickson on cowboys and ranch life.

Edition details

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574411772
• ISBN 13: 9781574411775
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 272