The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the American Old West - Softcover

Adams, Andy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486817229 ISBN 13: 9780486817224

Publisher: Dover, 2017

Synopsis

The most authentic account of cowboy life ever written, this compelling narrative traces the events of an 1882 cattle drive, during which 3,000 longhorns traversed the Great Western Cattle Trail from Brownsville, Texas, to the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Montana. The author, real-life cowboy Andy Adams (1859–1935), worked as a prospector as well as a cattle driver on the Western trails. Although The Log of a Cowboy crackles with the energy and excitement of fiction, it is based on Adams' own experiences. The Chicago Herald noted, "As a narrative of cowboy life, Andy Adams' book is clearly the real thing. It carries its own certificate of authentic firsthand experience on every page."
Fascinating details of day-to-day life on the trail emerge as a team of a dozen cowhands — accompanied by a cook, horse wrangler, and foreman — set out on the long trek. Days are marked by dangerous river crossings and buffalo stampedes as well as encounters with Indians and cattle thieves. Evenings find the crew exchanging tall tales around the campfire and occasionally hunkered down at cowtown saloons. Originally published in 1903 to refute popular but unrealistic tales of the Old West, this classic adventure story remains a remarkable historical resource and portrait of American frontier life.

About this title

About the Author:

Andy Adams (1859–1935) worked as a prospector as well as a cattle driver on the Western trails. Although his most popular book, The Log of a Cowboy, is fiction, it is based on the author's own experiences during a five-month drive of 3,000 cattle from Texas to Montana in 1882.

From AudioFile:

This story of a real cowboy's life in the late nineteenth century includes long, dusty cattle drives, stampedes, river crossings and Indian attacks. The characters who people the "Wild West" are interesting and vividly described. However, Murphey is not an inspired reader. He has a pleasant voice but fails to add drama or intensity with pacing or even changing volume. This work is not very suitable for audio as it is not action packed nor is there much dialogue. The abridgment is also short and not engrossing. Though billed as a "classic Western," this presentation will only appeal to real Western aficionados. S.C.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0486817229
• ISBN 13: 9780486817224
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416