The Old-Time Cowhand

"From spur-leathers to bedrolls, from drinking habits to dance steps, Mr. Adams has set down what the cowboy used, why he used it and how ...The net result is a peculiar combination of saddle catalogue, folklore treatise and sociological dissertation, adequately illuminated with sunbursts of salty humor, the cow-country hallmark, and distinguished by the depth of Mr. Adams' lifelong researches." - W. H. Hutchinson, "San Francisco Chronicle". "Encyclopedic in its coverage of the subject." - "Library Journal". The American cowboy emerges from these pages as a recognizable human being with little resemblance to the picturesque inventions of the horse opera. Ramon F. Adams, a highly respected authority on the old West, talks straight about what the cowhand really did and thought. His cow-punching, broncobusting, trail driving; his rodeo riding, poker playing, socializing; his horse, guns, rope, clothing, sleeping bag; his eating and drinking habits; his attitude toward God, women, bosses; his unwritten code of conduct - everything about this vanished breed is told with absorbing authenticity, in the rich and varied lingo of the range.