Horseshoes, Cowsocks & Duckfeet: More Commentary by NPR's Cowboy Poet & Former Large Animal Veterinarian [Paperback]

Baxter Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

Baxter Black, the world’s bestselling cowboy poet, author of Cactus Tracks & Cowboy Philosophy, and public radio’s favorite former large animal veterinarian, is back in the saddle with a hilarious new roundup of essays, commentaries, and campfire verse that speaks to the cowboy soul in each of us.

Drawn in part from Baxter’s wildly popular NPR commentaries and syndicated columns, Horseshoes, Cowsocks & Duckfeet offers a generous helping of his tender yet irreverent, sage-as-sagebrush take on everything from ranching, roping, Wrangler jeans, and rodeos to weddings and romance, the love of a good dog, dancing, parenting, cooking up trouble, and talking about the weather. If you haven’t ridden with Baxter before, find out what more than a million dedicated fans are laughing about inside and outside the corral.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cowboy poet, humorist and songwriter Black (Cactus Tracks & Cowboy Philosophy) and cartoonists Black, Gill, Holl and Marsh return in a freshly stirred stewpot of Black's syndicated columns and NPR commentaries, with a seasoning of verses, curses, lists ("Fifty Ways to Fool Yer Banker"), toasts, quotes and random musings: "Do fish ever get tired of eating seafood?" Ex-veterinarian Black writes of many creatures cats, dogs, chickens, cows, butterflies, horses, sheep and whales. But he also covers a wide range of other subjects airplanes, dances, ranches, recipes, rodeos, romance, small towns and weddings: "Putting a suit coat on some of those cowboys was like puttin' croutons on a cow pie." Among the outstanding pieces are his controversial critique of the "bad artists" who made cave paintings; "Chicken House Attack," which features a steer running amok in a building with 25,000 chickens; and "Dear Animal Planet," criticizing the cable channel for ignoring domestic livestock "destined for the food chain." With phrases like "March is the castor oil of months. The collected drippings of winter's oil change," it's evident that Black knows how to lasso the language, but for those who can't keep pace, he offers an extensive glossary of the "cowboy vocabulary." This is campfire humor that sparkles and ignites laughter.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Black certainly has a way of showing urban folk the ways of cowboys and working the land. Black's latest collection of humorous musings follows his tradition of plainspoken, tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that his fans have come to expect. From real cowboy weddings to the history and fate of the cowboy image to living and working with animals, Black keeps the one-liners coming. He also likes to delve into politics and social commentary on homelessness, Animal Planet network, country versus urban life and issues, and overseas American food aid. He truly is a modern-day Mark Twain who loves to pontificate on the simple pleasures in life with his rugged humor and charm. Readers who are looking for the atmosphere, culture, and hardy lifestyle of the West will enjoy Black's observations and style; the combination of sarcasm mixed with earthy dialogue on animal life is highly amusing. Michelle Kaske
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400049431
• ISBN-13: 978-1400049431
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cowboy Stories, September 7, 2003

By 

Padraic Gallagher (Kauai, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horseshoes, Cowsocks & Duckfeet: More Commentary by NPR's Cowboy Poet & Former Large Animal Veterinarian (Hardcover)

I have heard Baxter Black on the radio for years and I finally bought one of his books(I plan to buy more). Well, it was worth every one of the 60 miles I had to travel to purchase it. His stories or poems are truly laugh out loud. I liked the story about the cowboy trying to do his laundry and getting in an accident and his truck caught fire and a box of ammo was in the truck. He writes about everyday happenings that happen to plain ordinary folk. Everyone hears stories such as these, but Bax's writing style make the stories highly readable. I felt as I was reading them that he was there tell the tales. I highly recommend the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never heard of Black before this book., September 25, 2003

By 

Jack Purcell (Placitas, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horseshoes, Cowsocks & Duckfeet: More Commentary by NPR's Cowboy Poet & Former Large Animal Veterinarian (Paperback)

I had no idea he was on NPR. When my neighbor loaned me Horseshoes, Cowsocks and Duckfeet I was a long time getting around to picking it up. When I did it was only because I knew I needed to be able to tell the neighbor I had done so (out of courtesy).
I'm glad I did read it. Black probably isn't for everyone. There's a body of experience required to understand the point of his anecdotes and laugh at his humor. If you are person who's been around farm animals and live in a rural environment you'll probably love this book. I did.
On the other hand, if you an urbanite and have never been anything else you'll most likely consider it a waste.
The humor is dry and the anecdotes have an 'insider' quality probably unintended by the writer. The cultural abyss between urbanites and rurals grows ever wider. If this book doesn't span the gap there are still enough people with rural experience to appreciate and enjoy it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Thought, February 6, 2003

By 

Irish Flair (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Horseshoes, Cowsocks & Duckfeet: More Commentary by NPR's Cowboy Poet & Former Large Animal Veterinarian (Hardcover)

I have heard Baxter Black on a several occations on NPR (National Public Radio just in case you don't know. Check them out...) over the last couple of years. Most of what I did hear I liked so when I found this book I thought it would be great.

This is a collection of short, and I mean less than 2 pages short, stories as told by Black on NPR during 2001. (I think that's right...) Admittedly, something is lost in the translation from radio to book form. Baxter has a way with words and the way he says them is as meaningful a part as what he says. I was glad most stories had a brief introduction and for the glossery at the back of the book for those "non-cowboy" types like myself. I also liked the fact that I could read a story or two, put the book down and be able to come back to it a few minutes later or a week later.

I read all 75 (ish?) stories; I found my dad in one story (you know which one, Dad!), really enjoyed about 10, liked probably 40 or so and missed the point, didn't "get" or just didn't like the rest.
Perhaps it is the differences in age and sex (me being a 30-something married woman) or the generational differences or just the lifestyle differences but in some of the tales I had a hard time relating. I did, however, send the book on to my father who is older and wiser and much more learned in the ways of veterinarians, cowboys and politics and I bet he gets much more out of the book than I.

If you are already familar with Baxter's other stuff and like it then I believe you will not find any fault with this newest book. If this is your first Baxter Black book as it was mine then I suggest one of his more favored volumes to see if you like it first.