Cowhand: The Story of a Working Cowboy

by Fred Gipson

Portrays the hardships and the challenges as well as the routine daily tasks that marked the life of Texas cowboy Ed Alford

216 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1977

About the author

Also known as Frederick Benjamin Gipson. He is best known for writing the 1956 novel Old Yeller, which became a popular 1957 Walt Disney film.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, though truth be told, it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of reading a non-fiction book by Fred Gipson, famed author of "Old Yeller" and it's sequel.

What drew me in is learning Fred Gipson lived & worked for the local newspaper in Corpus Christi, TX where I currently reside. I'm glad I started the book.

Told in "cowboy vernacular and tone" one can almost here a cowboy recounting the tale of a fellow cowboy, Fats Alford's rough and tumble life. I could almost feel the warmth of a fire on a dark, cool prairie or desert, taste the dust of the cattle drives, and feel the bruises incurred from his bronco busts and rodeos.

A great step back into a long lost slice of Americana - the cattle drives, the fringes of the West giving way to the Great Depression and changing times. And it's all real. Well, as memory serves the storyteller!

[David Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant, meandering account of the adventures -and misadventures- of an old West Texas Cowhand. The premise doesn’t suggest Pulitzer Prize-winning material, but in his subtle genius, what Gipson has done is painted in all it’s splendid colors the unadorned reality of the life of a Cowboy.

There is little romance or pretense in this account of range life, but what it lacks in myth, it makes up for in fact. The little details of everyday cattle work are a historical treasure. Gipson sprinkles those details through a loose narrative that is at once humorous and sober.

If anything was lacking, it was direction. In his zeal to paint life in the saddle with unflinching authenticity, Gipson loses sight of a good story. Ostensibly, the meandering journey is the goal, however I had hoped for more of a destination.

[Jd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is a great book because 1. i think it would be fun to be a cow hand and its something i might want to do in my free time 2. We kinda share the same life, we both herd cattle but he hauls them on horseback and i do it in a truck and trailer. I also thought that this book was very intresting. It was more like a biography but it told stories like no other book that i have read. It literally made me feel like i was right there in the saddle with him. i really enjoyed this book, i dont think that everyone will like it because they will think that its too "redneck" or "hick" and thats perfectly fine by me, if they call me a redneck im cool with that i kinda like it. so i would only recommened this book to people who enjoy reading a ranch hand life.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at my blog.