Classic Cowboy Stories: Eighteen Extraordinary Tales of the Old West [Paperback]

Michael McCoy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 159228258X | ISBN-13: 978-1592282586 | Publication Date: June 1, 2004 | Edition: 1st

Roping a buffalo, running off cattle rustlers, sitting out a winter storm in a cave-adventures like these were all part of everyday life for the cowboy. They're depicted here in stories that have stood the test of time, by writers whose words are just as funny and wise today as they were one hundred years ago.
Covering all corners of the great Western expanse-from Montana to Mexico, California to the Mississippi-the stories in this collection represent not just the Anglo male perspective but also that of the blacks, Mexicans, and women who made their lives on the range. It features works by Owen Wister, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederic Remington, Isabella L. Bird, Nat Love, Bill Nye, Charlie Siringo, Zane Grey, Andy Adams, Mark Twain, E. Mulford, O. Henry (creator of the Cisco Kid), and many others, including some surprises by little-known authors.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"18 of the finest fictional works and true narratives about life on the range, all having stood the test of time."--Museum Store magazine

From the Back Cover

Tales of Cowpunchers, Cattle Drives, and Caballeros

There’s nothing more American than a good cowboy story. Collected in these pages are eighteen of the finest fictional works and true narratives about life on the range, all having stood the test of time. Covering all corners of the great Western expanse, these stories feature cowpokes of every ilk - anglo males, Mexicans, women - and colorful characters such as the Cisco Kid, a surprisingly cold-hearted killer created by O. Henry. Some of the stories praise the legendary cowpuncher, while others poke fun. Some are lively tales of adventure and romance, while others offer rare glimpses into the real-life world of the cattleman. Each will transport you to an all-but-vanished place and time.
With contributions from:
Owen Wister • Zane Grey • Isabella L. Bird • Theodore Roosevelt • O. Henry • William MacLeod Raine • Frederic Remington • F. R. Buckley • Clarence E. Mulford • B. M. Bowers • Frank Benton • Bill Nye • Stewart Edward White • Eugene Manlove Rhodes • Emerson Hough

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159228258X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592282586
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Americana

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Cowboy Stories - both fiction and biography, May 3, 2006

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classic Cowboy Stories: Eighteen Extraordinary Tales of the Old West (Paperback)

Michael McCoy has compiled an enjoyable collection of eighteen cowboy tales written in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I had expected Classic Cowboy Stories to be entirely fictional short stories. However, many entries are chapters taken from novels, biographies, and travel writings. McCoy was careful in his choices; these selections function quite effectively as independent stories. There is no sense of fragmentation or incompleteness.

Several authors were familiar like Owen Wister, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederic Remington, Zane Grey, and O. Henry, but most were new to me, including William MacLeod Raine, Clarence Mulford, Isabella Bird, F. R. Buckley, B. M. Bowers, Frank Benton, Bill Nye, Stewart Edward White, Eugene Rhodes, and Emerson Hough. For those that are counting, there are only fifteen authors; Owen Wister, Zane Grey, and O. Henry each had two selections.

I quite enjoyed these varied stories and I now make a few predictions. First, at some point I will return to this collection and read these stories again. Second, I will track down and read the sources of several of the biographical selections, particularly Theodore Roosevelt's Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail (1888), Isabella L. Bird's A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879), and Frederick Remington's Pony Tracks (1895). And third, I will once again read those two classic westerns, Owen Wister's The Virginian and Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars classic stories, July 12, 2009

By 

T. Perez (Greeley, Co) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classic Cowboy Stories: Eighteen Extraordinary Tales of the Old West (Paperback)

I bought this for my grandpa for christmas, the print is a little small-but he enjoyed the book

3.0 out of 5 stars Short western stories, February 2, 2011

By 

S. Nieto "Smart Shopper" (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Classic Cowboy Stories: Eighteen Extraordinary Tales of the Old West (Paperback)

I bought this book for my brother's birthday as he is an avid western story reader.He said the stories are mostly good, but a few are "oddly" written and hard to follow.