The Modern Cowboy

by John R. Erickson, John R. Erickson

“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 struggle against nature and animal cunning, he becomes larger than life. Who is this cowboy? Where did he come from and where is he today?

Erickson addresses these questions based on firsthand observation and experience in Texas and Oklahoma. And in the process of describing and defining the modern working cowboy—his work, his tools and equipment, his horse, his roping technique, his style of dress, his relationships with his wife and his employer—Erickson gives a thorough description of modern ranching, the economic milieu in which the cowboy operates.

The first edition of this book was published in 1981. For this second edition Erickson has thoroughly revised and expanded the book to discuss recent developments in cowboy culture, making The Modern Cowboy the most up-to-date source on cowboy and ranch life today.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, History

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1981

About the author

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and when Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks.

When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."

Reviews

[Lance Eaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot to like about Erickson's book in terms of getting a full and rich sense of the material culture, daily life, and challenges that embody cowboys' life--though as this is a book from 2004, it would be interesting to see how much more has changed since its republication. However, as a book to provide insight into life for modern cowboys working across the North American world, it seems to have a lot of strong knowledge and insight into what life looks like. This makes sense given that Erikson is a self-proclaimed cowboy and had been for many years (though admits he can't carry that title anymore since he owns land--a key difference he spells out between the day-workers and the land-owners). Beyond that, he relies on other nonfictional accounts and research to go beyond his experiences. In looking for a book to explain the world of cowboy, one could certainly do well with this.

But Erikson can also become tedious in his writing. He seems to never miss a chance to take a hit at "East coast" folks or "city folk". He seems to have decided that they are all form-perfect to the cliche, which is fascinating because so much of his work in his book is to break down the stereotypes and misinformation about cowboys. That is, he wants a reading audience to better know and understand him but has no qualms about disregarding other people's lives routinely or assuming they look down upon him and other cowboys. There are long stretches where this view isn't present but when it comes out, the book loses its readers. It's one thing to want to convey the life and challenges of cowboys in modern America, it's another to want to take needless potshots at people he doesn't know and potential readers. Such disregard for readers comes early in the book when he clearly informs readers that the idea of using "he or she" or "they" when describing work is just silly because he's never met a woman cowboy; therefore, it's pointless to adjust the language accordingly. The reality is more likely that he has encountered women cowboys; it's just they passed well--something that has historically been known to happen throughout all professions. This coded misogyny also seeps into the ways he discusses women in general and what "they want". All this is unfortunate and results in a book that could have been more useful if it had just been better edited.

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good work that describes all the aspects of what a modern cowboy does, including their working gear, their tools, their environment, their horses, and of course their main focus of their work interest, the cows. Erickson also talks about the dubious economics of cowboying (they've always been poorly paid but keep taking the job anyway), and the shaky economy of ranching.

Another reviewer complains that Erickson takes a few potshots at city slickers. I barely noticed anything along those lines in the text. A certain amount of city folk have a great deal of emotional investment in climbing the social ladder, and they obsess over money, their degree of sophistication, the famous people they know, how important their jobs are, etc., and this crowd has long used the method of taking potshots at 'rubes' and 'hayseeds' as part of the game of jockeying for social position. In this respect, I'd say countryfolk have been far more sinned against than sinning.

In fact, it looks an awful lot like what makes city people outraged with county people is that country folk don't care much about the game of social climbing, and by not caring, they insult this cherished value of city folk.

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a fantastic and informative book. One i believe would be appropriate to reflect on and go back to now and again if i were in the cowboying profession.
Great work and thoroughly descriptive. I will say it is definitely a subject you must hold in regard in order to benefit from this book, and i sure do. Thanks for your hard work and sharing your life/experiences with us Mr.Erickson.

[Callie Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I love cowboys and what they do, but this type of book has to be read when you're in the right mood. You don't just sit down and read a few hours of how to brand cattle...unless you are the person that lent me this!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A first hand look at the life of a modern cowboy from what he wears, to where he lives to family relationships. Informative, relatively entertaining. I was not offended by his use of cowBOY