In this Book
- The Modern Cowboy: Second Edition
- Book
- 2004
- Published by: University of North Texas Press
- Series: Western Life Series
summary
“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
Table of Contents
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- Contents and List of Illustrations
- pp. ix-xi
- Author’s Note
- pp. xiii-xvii
- Part One: The Modern Cowboy
- 1. What Is a Cowboy?
- pp. 3-8
- 3. The Cowboy’s Wife
- pp. 24-30
- 4. Horse Sense and Cow Sense
- pp. 31-39
- 5. Cowboy Vices and Recreation
- pp. 40-45
- 6. The Cowboy’s Newspaper
- pp. 46-54
- Part Two: Tools of the Trade
- 7. The Horse
- pp. 57-66
- 8. Pickups and Trailers
- pp. 67-75
- 9. Pasture Roping, Then and Now
- pp. 76-88
- Part Three: What Cowboys Do
- 10. Winter Work
- pp. 91-101
- 11. Spring Roundup and Branding
- pp. 102-115
- 12. Summer Work
- pp. 116-124
- 13. Windmills
- pp. 125-135
- 14. The Fall Work
- pp. 136-141
- 15. Calving Out Heifers
- pp. 142-151
- Part Four: The Bottom Line
- 16. The Modern Cattle Business
- pp. 155-165
- 17. Economics and the Rancher
- pp. 166-174
- 18. Economics and the Cowboy
- pp. 175-180
- 19. The Last Cowboy?
- pp. 181-185
- 20. Some Classic Books about Cowboys
- pp. 186-195
- Bibliography
- pp. 197-198
Additional Information
ISBN
9781574414165
Related ISBN(s)
9781574411775
MARC Record
OCLC
60334626
Pages
232
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No