This is the definitive book on all the old bit and spur makers of the Texas region who were working between 1870 and 1970. There are 63 makers featured with stunning photographs of their work, their maker's mark and a biography of each maker. The origins of the Texas style are traced in the history of bits and spurs brought to the New World from England, France and Spain.

A handy reference guide to 65 Texas-style bit and spur makers working between 1870 and 1970 in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico and a few other states. It includes an indication of collectibility, value and scarcity for each maker's work, as well as portraits of the maker, time lines of when and where they worked and photographs of their pieces and how they marked them.

This lavishly illustrated book describes techniques used in working metal over 300 years as well as the motifs used by bit and spur makers over many centuries. There are biographies of 121 contemporary bit and spur makers.

Includes material on August Buermann, North & Judd, John Robert McChesney and the Texas-style spur, P.M. Kelly, Oscar Crockett and the Crockett Bit & Spur Company, Bischoff and Shipley, Robert Lincoln Causey, Joe Bianchi and the Victoria Shank, the Boone family, J.O. Bass, Jess Hodge, E.F. Blanchard, Adolph Bayers.

An essential addition to any collection of Western art and Americana, The Life and Times of Jo Mora provides an in-depth biography of this gifted illustrator, painter, writer, cartographer, and sculptor. Jo Mora (1876–1947) lived the Western life he depicted in his prolific body of visual art, comprising sculpture, paintings, architectural adornments, dioramas, and maps. He explored California Missions, the natural glories of Yosemite, California’s ranch life, and eventually the culture of the Hopi and Navajo in Arizona. During his travels, Mora documented observations that became the source material and inspiration for much of his later artwork. The magnitude of Mora’s insights into his life and work, as described in his own words—many presented here in this book—cannot be underestimated. Jo Mora’s many diaries, journals, and literary efforts reveal an intellectual discernment, originality, and humor that enhance our appreciation of his work. Remarkably, throughout his life Mora supported his family solely through a series of art commissions that ranged from restaurant murals to heroic-scale sculpture. He welcomed risks and challenges, was unafraid of hard work, and did nearly everything well, from writing children’s stories to commanding an army battalion-in-training to shooting mountain lions. Ever modest, he seemed to think that this versatility was nothing extraordinary. Peter Hiller’s thoughtful presentation of Jo Mora’s life is seen here in all of its creative glory.

Spanish is an important source for terms and expressions that have made their way into the English of the southwestern United States. Vocabulario Vaquero/Cowboy Talk is the first book to list all Spanish-language terms pertaining to two important activities in the American West-ranching and cowboying-with special reference to American Indian terms that have come through Spanish. In addition to presenting the most accurate definitions available, this A-to-Z lexicon traces the etymology of words and critically reviews and assesses the specialized English sources for each entry. It is the only dictionary of its kind to reference Spanish sources. The scholarly treatment of this volume makes it an essential addition to the libraries of linguists and historians interested in Spanish/English contact in the American West. Western enthusiasts of all backgrounds will find accessible entries full of invaluable information. Robert N. Smead is Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Brigham Young University. Ronald Kil is a New Mexico cowboy and artist who has worked on ranches and feedlots all over the West. Richard W. Slatta is Professor of History at North Carolina State University and the author of numerous books, including Comparing Cowboys and Frontiers.

A different kind of range war erupts between cowboys and ranchers in The Day the Cowboys Quit from seven-time Spur Award-winning author Elmer Kelton. The time is 1883, the place is the Texas Panhandle. Cowboys refuse to be stigmatized as drinkers and exploited by the wealthy cattle owners who don't pay liveable wages. Those very same ranchers want to take away the cowboys' right to own cattle because this ownership, the ranchers believe, would lead to thieving. So the dictum is set: If you're a cowboy, you can't own a cow. When rumors of such legislation travel from wagon to wagon, the cowboys decided to rally and fight for their rights--they gather together and strike. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.