Trail Dust and Saddle Leather (Bison Book) [Paperback]

Jo Mora (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bison Book | Publication Date: April 1, 1987

Born in Uruguay in 1876, Jo Mora worked with and observed cowboys and vaqueros from Canada to the tierra caliente for more than half a century. In Trail Dust and Saddle Leather he presents in authentic lingo and detailed drawings the real-life cowboy's daily chores and chow, clothing and equipment, and ways with critters and steeds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Trail Dust and Saddle Leather is . . . the best thing in twenty-five years on the American cowboy and the tools of his trade. It . . . [is] a comprehensive study of the craft, and the illustrations—by the author— are . . . the best which have ever been published."—Hoffman Birney, New York Times

(Hoffman Birney New York Times )

"No better exposition anywhere, and here tellingly illustrated, of reatas, spurs, bits, saddles, and other gear."— J. Frank Dobie, A Guide to the Life and Literature of the Old Southwest

(J. Frank Dobie )

"To the two classics in the literature of the American cow-puncher—Andy Adams'' Log of a Cowboy and Philip Ashton Rollins'' The Cowboy—now may he added a third."—Book Week

(Book Week )

"[Mora is] a good tale spinner, and he knows what facts will give color and drama and authenticity to the picture he gives us."—Kirkus

(Kirkus )

"Superbly illustrated by the author. . . . Exceptionally fine book. Will have wide appeal to ever-growing group of lovers of the West."—Library Journal

(Library Journal ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (April 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803281455
• ISBN-13: 978-0803281455
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have your heroes always been cowboys?, August 13, 2003

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Trail Dust and Saddle Leather (Bison Book) (Paperback)

I admit to a terrible weakness for good, highly detailed line drawings; I know real people and animals don't have ink outlines, but there's nothing like a great ink sketch to help you understand just how a creature, or an outfit, is put together. Jo Mora, who deserves to be far better known than he is, was a master of the medium, and nowhere does he strut his stuff better in this book, first printed in 1946, when he was 67 years old.

Mora begins with a brief, humorous sketch of the beginning of the American cattle industry--the early Spanish ranchero, the antebellum Texian frontiersman-cowhunter, and at last the first great trail drives to Kansas. He goes on to explain why the cowboy's dress and tools are as they are and how the rider does his work, complete with diagrams that show sequentially how a steer is "busted." He tells about the two chief systems of breaking a cowhorse, about the longhorn and his customs, the trail herd on the way north, the chuck wagon, the roundup, brands, rustling, and that indispensable item, the horse. He illustrates it all with fine detailed pictures that should help anyone, even if they've never seen a real cowboy in their lives, imagine how one should have looked. His friendly, casual voice, like that of Will James or Ramon Adams, is that of an old-timer at the campfire genially explicating upon something he loves and knows well, without ever forgetting that he may be dealing with a pack of ignorant greenhorns. This is one of the half-score or so of books that are absolutely indispensable to an understanding of the genuine "waddie" and his work. It begs to be brought back into print.