The Cowboy Encyclopedia

By Richard W. Slatta

Book Overview

From Clint Eastwood, cattle drives, Buffalo Bill Cody, and outlaws to John Wayne, rodeos, roundups, and the Cisco Kid, Richard W. Slatta's The Cowboy Encyclopedia is a one-of-a-kind reference to the people, places, equipment and dress, historical events, terminology, and cultural imagery surrounding the cowboys of both North and South America. Extensively cross-referenced and expertly researched, The Cowboy Encyclopedia is a must for the serious student of cowboy life and Western Americana, as well as an enjoyable treat for the armchair cowboy. In this fascinating volume, myth and reality come together to provide a detailed exploration into how and why the romantic cowboy image came into being. Through numerous topical entries that study the role of cowboys in art, literature, and film, to briefer subject entries focusing on cowboy terminology, readers can take away an insightful and broad perspective of the cowboy culture and its powerful influence over America's vision of the Western frontier. Best Reference Source 1994, Library Journal Outstanding Reference Sources 1995, RASD American Library Association

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393314731
• ISBN13: 9780393314731
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.0" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Where does the legend end and the history begin?

Any perusal of my Reviews will show that I read a lot about the Old West. Whether one uses the term Westerns,Cowboys ,or whatever,there are so many aspects to it all,that it is impossible to say where one part begins or the other ends.On top of that,there is so much real history and colorful legends that it is nearly impossible to seperate it all.So,I have come to the conclusion,why bother,just enjoy it all. I have several source books or encyclopedias,and find them all quite useful in my readings. Richard Slatta takes a somewhat different approach,by addressing the broad subject of "Cowboy". This covers a broad area. He does not even contain it to the American West,but also Mexico,South America,Canada and even Australia.He further expands from the actual cows,cowboys,ranches,Indians,Pioneers,etc.,to include Movies,Books and Novels,Radio Shows,TV,and Music ,both of the Western and Cowboy music and even Country and Western music. Because the author has cast such a wide net,he had to pick and choose what details he would cover. Because of this, you simply cannot tell what you expect to find ,when looking up something.There seems to be no rhyme or reason why he goes into great detail on one thing and little or none on another.However;what he does address is quite good.As one proceeds through the book ,one comes across hundreds of entries that simply refer to other parts of the book.I really believe the author simply tried to do too much and as a result winds up with a book that one never knows what to expect when turning to it as a resource. Be that as it may,it is still a worthwhile resource to have on your bookshelf,but the subject of "Cowboy" is so wide and varied,one book can never be enough.

Quite comprehensive

A well researched and comprehensive book. At first, I was a bit concerned about the information being categorized alphabetically, versus topically, but it is a good system for this type of information. I find myself sitting and reading through a letter of the alphabet at a time. Fun to read, quite interesting, and on double checking the information from other sources, historically accurate.