The Cowboy Way: An Exploration of History and Culture

by Paul H. Carlson

The lives of American cowboys have been both real and mythic; hence our continuing fascination with their history and culture. In sixteen essays and an annotated bibliography, scholars explore cowboy music dress, humour, films and literature. Celebrating the cowboy way, the essays also come to grips with false images and the make-believe world that surrounds cowboy culture. Nonetheless, as these essays demonstrate, the American cowboy is destined to remain the most easily recognised of all western character types, a knight of the road who, with a large hat, tall boots and a big gun, rode into legend and into the history books.

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2000

About the author

Dr. Paul Howard Carlson is a historian, former professor, and former assistant chairman of the Department of History at Texas Tech University. He was also editor of the West Texas Historical Association Year Book (now West Texas Historical Review) for a number of years.