I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains [Paperback]

Tom Lindmier (Author), Steve Mount (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0931271339 | ISBN-13: 978-0931271335 | Publication Date: April 1, 1996

No Hollywood flim-flam or arty photographic re-creation here. Lindmier and Mount demonstrate through the use of historic photographs what actual working cowboys of the Northern Plains wore and what equipment they used from the 1870s until 1928.

These cowboys may not look like the ones in the movies, but you can bet your boots they are the real thing.

The authors researched chaps, spurs, boots, and even underwear. Chapters cover saddles and horse gear as well as wagons.

Over 120 historic photos and illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: High Plains Pr (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931271339
• ISBN-13: 978-0931271335
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cowboy gear and clothes -- all of it, November 18, 1997

By 

Eileen Galen (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains (Paperback)

I loved this book. A comprehensive guide to real working cowboys' -- not in the movies or on TV; on the open range of Wyoming, in the old days -- clothing and equipment. Hundreds of black and white photos and drawings; illustrations from historic catalogs; schematics of tack; diary entries and contemporary descriptions; history and the reasons behind the specific gear of the cowboys (and girls) of the Northern Plains from 1870 to just until the Great Depression. The authors are historians and give us the names of, and the stories behind, the people and the great stuff; Levi's of course, but how about 'Rodeo Booger Reds'? -- a would-be competitor. Underwear -- you can imagine how important Union Suits were before central heating. (They could be ordered in white, grey, ecru, light blue, and, finally, in 1909: pink.) Shirts, jackets, leather goods and fabrics. Horse gear. There's even a chapter on Camp Equipment; now you can build a chuck wagon. Loads of well-captioned photos, many portraits; you're 'there.' Best of all, the tone is enthusiatically academic rather than 'nostalgic.' This is the real thing -- a scholarly, well-organized and well-written book about a vanished world.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It aint Hollywood, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains (Paperback)

This is the real MCoy. The authors appear to know their subect well and have done their homework. I thank you for that because this is my first read on the subject of real cowboy clothing and I wanted facts. The detail was very good and in some cases too good as in the section on horse bits. What cowboys acually wore and why is fascinating. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the Hollywood costumes but it's nice to know the real story and this is it.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for every Old West Re-enactor and enthusiast., January 15, 1999

By 

Chevelle Thomas ([e-mail]) (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains (Paperback)

As an Old West Re-enactor for 5 years, I have taken a particular interest in costuming. There are few resources that accurately dispell the many questions and myths that come into play about the cowboy gear in the Old West. I refer to this book often when researching particular subjects such as hats and boots. As a seamstress, the diagrams and details are invaluable in recreating costumes for my husband and fellow actors.