Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys [Paperback]

Mark L. Gardner (Editor), Ronald Kil (Illustrator), Rex Rideout (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005

In 1908 a local rancher and surveyor by the name of N Howard 'Jack' Thorp walked into the cramped offices of the Estancia News in Estancia, New Mexico, and inquired of the printer about publishing a small book of 'cowboy songs'. For at least nineteen years, Thorp had sought out cowboy ballads and poems from across the west -- from New Mexico and Texas to Wyoming and Utah, and had written a few ditties himself. The finished volume, printed for just six cents a copy, included twenty-three songs and was the first book published devoted exclusively to cowboy songs. Thorp is recognised for being the first person to take a serious interest in collecting and preserving the ballads penned by ranchers to calm cattle on the range. This new edition of an oft-reprinted classic features an essay by western historian and musician Mark Gardner, and line illustrations by noted western artists and rancher Ron Kil. Included with the book is a CD of a recording of a selection of songs and poems taken from both the original 1908 edition and 1921 expanded second edition. In their renditions, Gardner and Rex Rideout recreate the historic music preserved by Thorp with vintage instruments and authentic styles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark L Gardner, Editor; Illustrations by Ron Kil; Musical performances by Mark L Gardner and Rex Rideout

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Pr (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890134782
• ISBN-13: 978-0890134788
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,881,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 15, 2010

By 

Bilbo_loves_books - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys (Paperback)

This is a high-quality book and CD package. The book is made of heavy paper, and the cover is made of thick and glossy paper. This isn't a run-of-the-mill paperback, but it's one that you'll be able to enjoy over and over again, and then pass it down to future generations. The history discussed in this book, and the insight into Jack Thorp is very interesting. And the CD taps into the old sounds very well. In fact, I'll be getting other CDs by the artists based on what I heard.

Highly recommend to anyone wanted to know more about cowboy culture and cowboy music.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrics for real cowboy songs, August 2, 2009

By 

Richard B. Willson "Citizen" (Big Lake Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys (Paperback)

There was another version which included musical notation for some of these songs (poems). They were composed by intelligent but unschooled ranch hands (cowboys, to us) who were often displaced veterans of the Civil War; Union and Confederate. Theirs was an oral history of their experiences, usually set to some already familiar tune, some humorous, some (Little Joe The Wrangler, When The Work's All Done This Fall) a eulogy to a victim of their dangers, left buried on the trail. An overlooked source of American 19th century history.