The Cowboy: An Unconventional History of Civilization on the Old-Time Cattle Range

by Philip Ashton Rollins

The American cowboy has long been a popular figure in fiction, motion pictures,and studies of the West, but over the years inaccuracies have crept in, distorting the image of the real cowboy. Philip Ashton Rollins, in The Cowboy , sets out to provide a complete, accurate handbook on the everyday life of the cowboy--trailing, herding, branding, round-up, and horsebreaking. He also discusses tools of the trade, including types of saddles, bits, riatas, boots, and spurs. Most vivid is his presentation of the cowboy’s personality, code, mores, and amusements.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

430 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1979

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I smiled and finally laughed out loud reading this wonderful book by Princeton-educated historian Philip Ashton Rollins (1869-1950), who grew up in the West and knew early cowboys firsthand. He organizes his encyclopedic knowledge of cowboys into 18 chapters covering such topics as cowboy character, what the cowboy wore, equipment and furnishings, diversions and recreations, the day's work, branding and round-up. At 383 pages in its 1936 edition, there's a lot of reading here for the Western enthusiast.

The subtitle of the book, "an unconventional history," alludes to the less than objective, tongue in cheek tone that Rollins often assumes. He obviously admires cowboys but also sees the latent humor and ironies in a hyper-male culture, where men on the open range bonded into a fierce fraternity of individuals. I laughed out loud at the point where he describes the boredom that led cowboys to memorize the labels on canned products (condensed milk, peaches) and then recite them in unison for amazed outsiders.

For readers fascinated by the minute details of the cowboy's daily life, his beliefs and customs, values and attitudes, habits, quirks, and prejudices, this book is a gem. You learn how cowboys wore their Stetsons differently in different regions of the West. Because Rollins is fascinated by language, you learn a great deal about cowboy lingo and how it also varied regionally. He also gets as close as he can to describing the particularly florid and inventive cursing of cowboys. You learn that cowboys wore vests but not denim. You learn the received method of one-handed cigarette rolling and lighting a match on the seat of one's pants. You learn how guns were worn and used. You learn plenty.

I'm happy to recommend this book on cowboy culture to anyone with an interest in the old west and the life of cowboys as it was actually lived. It was written and published in 1922, then revised in 1936, and is a classic that belongs on anyone's bookshelf of western literature.