A Vaquero of the Brush Country: The Life and Times of John D. Young

by J. Frank Dobie and John D. Young

Book Overview

This true story of the Texas brush range and the first cowboys, as thrilling as any tale of fiction, has become a classic in Western literature. It is the story of the land where cattle by tens of thousands were killed on the prairie and where the "Skinning War" was fought. It is the story of the Chisholm Trail up to Abilene and the Platte and of establishing a ranch on the free grass of the Texas Panhandle, of roping elk in Colorado, of trailing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292787049
• ISBN13: 9780292787049
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Authentic life in the Pecos

This book comes off as a bit dry to the superficial history buff, as the author rarely mentions the names of famous western heroes or myth makers. But the book does list the names and activities of myiads of other players who lived the real life of the wild west. The book describes the business and the hardships faced by Texas cowboys in the late 1800's, as understood by John Young, a hard riding cowboy who spent his whole life on the range. The book was written by John Dobie, a man very familiar with the life of a cowboy and the land that John Young lived on, and at times I could not be certain which of these men I was reading about. I did come away with a better understanding of life on the Texas range, and am grateful that some of these cowboys understood the interest future generations would have in what they did out there when the plains were unfenced, and took the time to have it put in print.

Western Classic - Strange Cover

It is great to see a new edition of this Western classic which now correctly attributes authorship to John D. Young and J. Frank Dobie jointly. This autobiography preserves stories, facts, and history of the Texas cattle industry of the 1870s and 1880s not found anywhere else. It is also the entertaining story of John Young, who was himself worth writing about. That being said, the cover photo of the new edition is very odd. It appears to be a photo of a recent-era "vaquero" wearing modern clothes including a jacket with snaps - obviously not available in the late 19th century! This photo has nothing to do with the life of John Young or the era and events which are the subject of "Vaquero." The use of this inappropriate photo is particularly strange, since there are so many great art works and photos which dramatically depict the brush country and the vaqueros who worked and lived the the Texas of that time. Maybe the publisher, Uniiversity of Texas Press, will choose a better cover for the next edition.

This book covers the subject "the brush country very well" .

After having read "A Vaquero of the Brush Country" , I have a question. Where in Dawson County did Mr. Young deliver the 700 steers and what route did he take and to whom did they belong? The book is very good.