Horsing Around, Volume I: Contemporary Cowboy Humor

by Lawrence Clayton (Editor), Kenneth W. Davis (Editor)

This collection by Lawrence Clayton and Kenneth W. Davis proves that the humor of the contemporary cowboy is as vibrant and entertaining as that of the old-time cowhand. Lawrence Clayton is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. Kenneth W. Davis is professor of English at Texas Tech University. The book is a publication in the Humor in Life and Letters Series. Also in the
Never Try to Teach a Pig to Sing
Still More Urban Folklore
from the Paperwork Empire
By Alan Dundes and Carl R. Pagter
360 pages, illustrated
ISBN 0-8143-2357-X, cloth
ISBN 0-8143-2358-8,paper
Jewish Wry
Essays on Jewish Humor
Edited, with an Introduction
by Sarah Blacher Cohen
244 pages
ISBN 0-8143-2366-9,paper
Caver design by Mary Krzewinski with an illustration by Ace Reid
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Detroit, Michigan 48202
ISBN 0-8143-2144-5

226 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of enjoyable humor by 11 cowboy-writers and folklorists, plus one cartoonist. Selections range from straightforward stories of comic mishaps and misadventures to tall tales in the tradition of Pecos Bill, told in cowboy vernacular. There are also cowboy poems by Baxter Black, short essays on cowboy nicknames and practical jokes, and selections from the fiction of western authors, including Elmer Kelton, whose historical novel "The Day the Cowboys Quit" is one of my favorites. The cartoons are by Ace Reid. Excellent addition to any bookshelf of western (Texas in particular) literature.