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I'll Tell You a Tale
I'll Tell You a Tale is a garland of some of Frank Dobie's best writing, put together by Isabel Gaddis, one of his former students at the University of Texas. The tales included are those the author himself liked best, and he even rewrote some of them especially for this anthology. Ben Carlton Mead has contributed 32 original line drawings to illustrate the stories.
These tales spring from the soil and folklore of our land; but more than this, they make the readers contemporary with the times, filling us with the wonder of something past and yet still with us. They are arranged topically into sections whose titles speak for "The Longhorn Breed," "Mustangs and Mustangers," "The Saga of the Saddle," "Characters and Happenings of Long Ago," "Animals of the Wild," "In Realms of Gold," and "Ironies."
These tales spring from the soil and folklore of our land; but more than this, they make the readers contemporary with the times, filling us with the wonder of something past and yet still with us. They are arranged topically into sections whose titles speak for "The Longhorn Breed," "Mustangs and Mustangers," "The Saga of the Saddle," "Characters and Happenings of Long Ago," "Animals of the Wild," "In Realms of Gold," and "Ironies."
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1960
About the author
J. Frank Dobie
221 books53 followersCalled the "Storyteller of the Southwest," James Frank Dobie was born in 1888 on his family's cattle ranch in Live Oak County. During his long life, J. Frank Dobie would live astride two worlds: a rugged life on a Texas cattle ranch and the state's modern centers of scholarly learning.
Dobie came to Austin in 1914 to teach at the University of Texas. In time he pioneered an influential course on the literature of the Southwest. By the late 1920s, Dobie discovered his mission: to record and publicize the disappearing folklore of Texas and the greater Southwest. Dobie became secretary of the Texas Folklore Society, a position he held for 21 years.
J. Frank Dobie Dobie was a new kind of folklorist—a progressive activist. He called for UT to admit African-American students in the 1940s—long before the administration favored integration. Dobie's vocal politics led to his leaving the University in 1947, but he continued writing until his death in 1964, publishing over twenty books and countless articles.
The inscription on Dobie's headstone in the Texas State Cemetery reads: "I have come to value liberated minds as the supreme good of life on earth." J. Frank Dobie was not content to simply preserve Southwestern heritage within libraries and museums. He gave life to that heritage and informed generations of Texans about their rich history.
Dobie came to Austin in 1914 to teach at the University of Texas. In time he pioneered an influential course on the literature of the Southwest. By the late 1920s, Dobie discovered his mission: to record and publicize the disappearing folklore of Texas and the greater Southwest. Dobie became secretary of the Texas Folklore Society, a position he held for 21 years.
J. Frank Dobie Dobie was a new kind of folklorist—a progressive activist. He called for UT to admit African-American students in the 1940s—long before the administration favored integration. Dobie's vocal politics led to his leaving the University in 1947, but he continued writing until his death in 1964, publishing over twenty books and countless articles.
The inscription on Dobie's headstone in the Texas State Cemetery reads: "I have come to value liberated minds as the supreme good of life on earth." J. Frank Dobie was not content to simply preserve Southwestern heritage within libraries and museums. He gave life to that heritage and informed generations of Texans about their rich history.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2011
A thoroughly entertaining collection of Tales of Texas, Frank Dobie became one of the fathers of modern Texas literature by collecting stories from those who did the ranching, roundups,
and generally made a living in Texas in the late 1800s, though some of the tales go back even further, all of them are under the category of folklore. Some of the tales are realistic, how-things-were-done
stories, others are Tall tales, some a lot Taller than others.
Most of the stories are short, about 5 pages, and full of incidental information on the ways of driving the cattle, running a mustang, or just making do in the 'good old days' that none of us would want to
go through, well, except maybe for a weekend.
The anthology is divided into topics, each having about 8 stories in them. A few are:
longhorn breed
mustangs & mustangers
saga of the saddle
characters and happenings of long ago
animals of the wild
Frank Dobie is one of those famous enough, at least in Central Texas, to have buildings and scholarships named after him, but no one really knows who he is, or has read one of his books. I'm glad I caught up on this sampling of American literature on the Old West.
and generally made a living in Texas in the late 1800s, though some of the tales go back even further, all of them are under the category of folklore. Some of the tales are realistic, how-things-were-done
stories, others are Tall tales, some a lot Taller than others.
Most of the stories are short, about 5 pages, and full of incidental information on the ways of driving the cattle, running a mustang, or just making do in the 'good old days' that none of us would want to
go through, well, except maybe for a weekend.
The anthology is divided into topics, each having about 8 stories in them. A few are:
longhorn breed
mustangs & mustangers
saga of the saddle
characters and happenings of long ago
animals of the wild
Frank Dobie is one of those famous enough, at least in Central Texas, to have buildings and scholarships named after him, but no one really knows who he is, or has read one of his books. I'm glad I caught up on this sampling of American literature on the Old West.
August 28, 2026
When I was in elementary school, I came across some books in the school library that were a genre I might describe as "random oral tales from the old west." Some of them were a little spooky with a supernatural angle. Some of them were just thrilling, like unlikely escapes from wolves and such. I wish I could find those books again. Were the stories as good as I remembered them?
I cam upon this book completely randomly at the Lake Travis Community Library. I imagine it's there because of the Texas connection for its author. I appreciate all his work in preserving the stories and the spirit of a bygone western culture. Sadly, most of these stories did not speak to me. There's only so many tales of cattle with personality that I want to sit through. The first one was amusing and charming. Nine tales? Not so much. And those were all about cattle, then there were another eight tales of horses with personality. I am not close enough to the country life of my ancestors to appreciate even the wittiest told tale that many times through.
Later, I got to the tales of lost gold and thought, ah, here is what I was looking for. Some were in the format I was familiar with, a long tale through history of close calls and foiled plans which ended with the declaration that the hoard of treasure was still lost out there. But some of the tales were rambling and philosophical, more about the thoughts and inconclusive ponderings of the lonely and unsuccessful prospectors. I get it, I know there's an audience for those solitary musings on whispering, wandering trails. I'm not that audience.
My favorite stories were "General Mexhuira's Ghost" and "The Headless Horseman of the Mustangs." I like the possibility of a supernatural tale along with the mystery that there was a practical explanation or an exaggeration lost to time.
I cam upon this book completely randomly at the Lake Travis Community Library. I imagine it's there because of the Texas connection for its author. I appreciate all his work in preserving the stories and the spirit of a bygone western culture. Sadly, most of these stories did not speak to me. There's only so many tales of cattle with personality that I want to sit through. The first one was amusing and charming. Nine tales? Not so much. And those were all about cattle, then there were another eight tales of horses with personality. I am not close enough to the country life of my ancestors to appreciate even the wittiest told tale that many times through.
Later, I got to the tales of lost gold and thought, ah, here is what I was looking for. Some were in the format I was familiar with, a long tale through history of close calls and foiled plans which ended with the declaration that the hoard of treasure was still lost out there. But some of the tales were rambling and philosophical, more about the thoughts and inconclusive ponderings of the lonely and unsuccessful prospectors. I get it, I know there's an audience for those solitary musings on whispering, wandering trails. I'm not that audience.
My favorite stories were "General Mexhuira's Ghost" and "The Headless Horseman of the Mustangs." I like the possibility of a supernatural tale along with the mystery that there was a practical explanation or an exaggeration lost to time.
May 20, 2017
"I'll Tell You a Tale: An Anthology" is a series of short, concise stories of the SouthWest part of the US. There are stories about cattle rustling, mustangs, outlaws, Longhorns, gold mining, etc. J. Frank Dobie is a really good story teller and all of the stories are colorful and keep your interest. There is a glossary at the end of Spanish-Mexican words which are used freely throughout the stories. Of the several books written by Mr. Dobie, this book is apparently made up of the stories that were his personal favorites.
March 17, 2026
A dear family member sent us this so we could get a flavor of the history of Texas before a family reunion there. I appreciated some of the storytelling, especially around the openness of the land, blends of cultures, and treasure hunting. It's an older book, though, and anecdotal. Sometimes the anecdotes are charming, sometimes they wander aimlessly, and sometimes they carry words and ideas best left in the past.
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June 24, 2007One of the pleasures of exploring a new town is visiting the local independent bookstore (provided, of course, they're fortunate enough to have one still). I was in Fredericksburg, Texas, in early June and spotted a sign advertising "Texana, Texas Maps, and Used Books" in the window of Berkman Books on Main Street. I made a beeline. In the global age of B&N and Borders, when every bookstore stocks the same inventory, it seems rarer and rarer to find a shop that might tell you something about the locale.
In the Texana section, I zeroed in on the shelf of books by J. Frank Dobie. The titles were simple and descriptive: "Cow People," "The Longhorns," "The Mustangs," "Coronado's Children." I'd never heard of Dobie, a Texas native who wrote his first book in 1929 and died in ’64. He collected stories he heard over the years, some of them folktakes, some reminiscences by old-timers, some plain old tall tales. This volume is an anthology of his work. More details to come when I get further into it....
In the Texana section, I zeroed in on the shelf of books by J. Frank Dobie. The titles were simple and descriptive: "Cow People," "The Longhorns," "The Mustangs," "Coronado's Children." I'd never heard of Dobie, a Texas native who wrote his first book in 1929 and died in ’64. He collected stories he heard over the years, some of them folktakes, some reminiscences by old-timers, some plain old tall tales. This volume is an anthology of his work. More details to come when I get further into it....
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews