The Siart A Range Man’s Library An indispensable first book in any range man’s library is a good J. C. DYKES bibliography. Until December Assistant Administrator for Field Services, Soil Con- 31, 1959, when THE RAMPAG- servation Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, ING HERD (Norman, 1959) by Washington 25, D. C. Ramon F. Adams was issued such a book was not available. As an amateur range man I My recommendations are re- It lists a total of 2,651 books and should not attempt to discuss the stricted to the more recent books pamphlets on men and events in technical working tools of the and pamphlets on the men and the cattle industry. While it is profession. I would soon be out events of the range. They are by no means selective, it will of my depth. On the other hand also selective, mentioning main- provide much guidance to any I should not write as an es- ly the worthy books that will range man building a library. tablished collector of the litera- help build a library rather than As a collector, I have found J. ture of the range. A collector has a collection. There are two pri- Frank Dobie’s GUIDE TO LIFE been defined as one who tries to mary reasons for sticking to the AND LITERATURE OF THE accumulate all that has been m o r e recent books-cost and SOUTHWEST (Austin and written on a subject-the worthy availability. While it does not Dallas, 1942, and revised and en- and the unworthy. Certainly it hold for all kinds of books, most larged, Dallas, 1952) very useful. would be out of place to urge of the older range life books are In the chapters on Range Life, that you buy the unworthy and both expensive and hard to find. Cowboys, Cattle, Sheep; Cow- become an all out collector of boy Songs and Other Ballads; range books. The late Charlie Balance Needed Horses, Mustangs and Cow Ponies; and The Bad Man Tradi- Everitt, b e 1 o v e d Americana There should be balance in a dealer of New York City, tells range man’s 1 i br ary. There tion, Dobie comments on range books in his own particularly this tale in his delightful book, should be books about the range pithy and penetrating fashion. THE ADVENTURES OF A country; biographies and auto- You will find this book highly TREASURE HUNTER (Boston, biographies of cowboys and cow- entertaining as well as useful. 1951). A man walked into his men; histories of their associa- Make no mistake-Frank Dobie shop one day and said, “I’ll buy tions; accounts of the trails and is a range man with a deep love any damn thing that mentions a trail drivers; ranch histories; of the land, grass and animals cowboy.” Note the mark of the studies of the range wars; books collector, “any damn thing.” that shines through everything about cows, sheep and range he has written. Some minutes later Charlie ran horses; and the literature of the a total on his adding machine. range including the novels, The greatest single book about The stranger tore off a piece of ballads, and art. These are the a major segment of the range Charlie’s wrapping paper and books that a range man should country is Dr. Walter Prescott wrote a check for $1,243. The read and reread for pleasure and Webb’s THE GREAT PLAINS check was signed, Philip Ashton for an understanding and essen- (Boston, 1931). The first printing Rollins. Rollins wrote THE tial background of his profession. is now a collector’s item. A much COWBOY (New York, 1922), one It is perhaps happenstance more recent book, GRASS - of the classics on the cowboy, that I am in a position to discuss LANDS OF THE GREAT his equipment and his work. He recent range books. I am a PLAINS, THEIR NATURE AND revised and enlarged it in 1936 collector of range books but also USE (Lincoln, 1956) by J. E. and that is the best edition. I have two close associates, B. Weaver and F. W. Albertson, Rollins was one of the great W. (Bill) Allred and F. G. (Fred) with contributions by other ex- collectors of range life books and Renner, who collaborate on a perts including Bill Allred, the collection is still intact in the monthly review column, WEST- brings together a tremendous Princeton University Library. ERN BOOK ROUNDUP, carried amount of knowledge about the by several magazines. In each IPrepared for the annual meeting of vegetation of the mid-continent the American Society of Range Man- of the past five years we have prairie between the Saskatche- agement, February 1960, by J. C. reviewed about 150 Western wan and the Rio Grande. Dykes, Assistant Administrator for books. Practically every new Carl Frederick Kraenzel’s THE Field Services, Soil Conservation range book issued during that GREAT PLAINS IN TRANSI- Service, U. S. Department of Agri- culture, Washington 25, D. C., and period has been reviewed by one TION (Norman, 1955) is worth- presented by F. G. Renner. of the three of us. while. 118 RANGE LIBRARY 119 Unfortunately, so far as I 1927) by another range man, R. other publisher recognized its know there is no book about the Farrington Elwell-former man- value and reprinted it. Roscoe intermountain ranges that is ager of Buffalo Bill’s Wyoming Sheller’s BEN SNIPES, NORTH- comparable in environmental ranch and well known Western WEST CATTLE KING (Port- coverage to these three. A book artist now living in Phoenix, land, Oregon, 1957) is a rags to that will be harder to find but Arizona. Frank Dobie’s UP THE riches story of a man whose cat- worth the search is WESTERN TRAIL FROM TEXAS (New tle ranged over much of central GRAZING GROUNDS AND York, 1955), primarily for Washington. He had competi- FOREST RANGES (Chicago, younger readers, is a dandy book tion from Pete French of Ore- 1913) by Will C. Barnes. Leon about real trail drivers. Wayne gon. There is a book about V. Almirall in FROM COLLEGE Gard’s THE CHISHOLM TRAIL French, too, and while it is TO COW COUNTRY (Caldwell, (Norman, 1954) is the best book classed as novel it is said to fol- 1956) has some pertinent re- in print on that drove road just low closely the life of this well marks to make on- ranching at as the late Walter S. Campbell’s known cowman. It was written the nine thousand foot level. (Stanley Vestal) QUEEN OF by Elizabeth (Lambert) Wood Two books which give consider- COW TOWNS, DODGE CITY and is entitled PETE FRENCH, able information on desert (New York, 1952) is the best book CATTLE KING (Portland, Ore- ranges are worth mentioning- in print on Kansas cowtowns. gon, 1951). Here is one more- Earl J. Larrison’s OWYHEE, The late Floyd B. Streeter’s PIERRE WIBAUX, CATTLE LIFE OF A NORTHERN PRAIRIE TRAILS AND COW- KING (Bismarck, 1953), a pam- DESERT (Caldwell, 1957) and TOWNS (Boston, 1936) was is- phlet reprinted by the State His- Edmund C. Jaeger’s THE sued in a small edition and is torical Society of North Dakota. NORTH AMERICAN DESERTS now very scarce and expensive It is about a Frenchman who did (Stanford, 1957). THIS IS THE but most of the text, revised and well in cattle and became a well WEST ‘(N.Y., 1957) edited by expanded, is available in his known cowtown banker. Frazier Robert West. Howard .has much later book, THE KAW (New Hunt’s CAP MOSSMAN (New to say on the whole of the range York, Toronto, 1941). THE CAT- York, 1951) is a top biography. country. It was issued first as a TLE DRIVES OF DAVID Mossman made his reputation as paper-back at 35 cents and then SHIRK FROM TEXAS TO THE manager of the Hashknife in in hard covers, with numerous IDAHO MINES, 1871 and 1873 Arizona where his success in fine illustrations, at 6 dollars-a (Portland, Oregon, 1956) was dealing with rustlers led to his bargain either way. edited by Martin F. Schmitt and appointment as Captain of the includes some later experiences Arizona Rangers. Later Cap and . The Trail Driving Era of Shirk as a cattleman in east- his associates controlled a mil- The days of the spread of cat- ern Oregon. lion acres of range, all under tle from Texas into the North- fence, in South Dakota. There ern Plains and of trail driving Cattle Kings are many books about cowmen to rail heads in Kansas is one Some cowmen started as cow- but none better than these-and of the most thrilling periods in boys, many cowboys never be- these have the added advantage the history of the West. This pe- came owners, and some owners of being readily available. riod has been very thoroughly were never cowboys. CHARLES documented in both fact and fic- GOODNIGHT (New York and Associations tion. No book on trail driving Boston, 1936) by J. Evetts Haley Historically, cow m en, begin- will compare with Andy Adams’ is the best biography ever writ- ning with the roundup, have THE LOG OF A COWBOY (Bos- ten of a range man and may be worked together in solving their ton and New York, 1903). Frank the best biography ever written mutual problems. The books Dobie in his GUIDE puts it so about a Westerner. The first about their associations are a well-“ If all other books on trail printing of this great book is part of the history of the range.