The Log of a Cowboy

The landmark novel of the American West Straightforwardly told, rich in detail, and laced with appealing campfire humor, Andy Adams’s realistic The Log of a Cowboyis a classic portrayal of the western cattle country. Drawing on his own experiences as a cowboy working in cattle and horse drives, Adams presents a vivid portrait of the challenges of trail life on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana—the daily drudgery of cattle trailing, as well as the dramatic stampedes and other treacherous disruptions. Populated by a wide variety of well-drawn, lively characters, The Log of a Cowboyremains the landmark novel of the American West a century after its first appearance.

Andy Adams (1859-û1935) was born to pioneer parents in Indiana, worked in Texas for ten years driving cattle, and settled in Colorado Springs, where he began writing his -ôreal-ö stories of cowboys in the West.

Richard W. Etulain is professor emeritus of history and former director of the Center for the American West at the University of New Mexico. He has authored or edited more than forty books.