The Modern Cowboy

By John R. Erickson

Book Overview

"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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803218052
• ISBN13: 9780803218055
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Univ of NE Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 6.4" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

Even Better Than 1st Edition

I loved John R. Erickson's 1981 1st end edition of this book and wondered if the 2nd edition would live up to standards set by the first edition. I was not disappointed. Erickson gives a unique insight to cowboying. The chapters "Economics and the Cowboy" and "The Cowboys Wife" are in themselves enough to make this book a unique contribution to Western American literature. I have only one small complaint about Erickson's work. That is that he gives feedyard cowboys the short shrift. His only discussion of them is a few condensending comments in "The Last Cowboy" chapter. He says he doesn't mean to disparage them and yet turns around and does just that. A book about "THE Modern Cowboy" needs a thorough treatment of feedyard cowboys. Moreover the distinction between feedyard cowboys and ranch cowboys is largely an artificial separation that exists only in Erickson's mind. The majority of feedyard cowboys that I've worked with have worked ranches and you will find quite a few ranch cowboys on the Great Plains who have put in their time in the feedyards. However, I would not let this one oversight of Erickson's keep me from reccommending this book to anyone and everyone.

Recommended both for entertainment and personal edification

Now in its second edition, The Modern Cowboy strives to answer the query: who is the American cowboy? Where did he come from, and what is he today? Digging deep into American history, legend, and practical reality, as well as taking a solid look at the contemporary lives led today by men responsible for the welfare of cattle, The Modern Cowboy is a superb source of background material for anyone who truly wants to know more about the legendary figure who appears in so many Western novels and movies. Highly recommended both for entertainment and personal edification.

This is the best ever

I just finished reading The Modern Cowboy by John Erickson. It is a very good book about the life of the American cowboy. Erickson covers every aspect of the cowboy working on a ranch in our country. He not only covers the day to day life of the cowboy, he gives the reader a view of what is in the future for cowboys and ranching. A great book.