• 224 pages 9 1/2" X 10"
• More than 250 pictures
• Dozens of full-page photos
• Cowboys (real & reel) in action

At the dawn of the 21st century, as a real-life battle between “good and evil” rages, the great American icon, the cowboy, is raring to ride again. Why do these men of few words, fancy pistols, and large-brimmed hats have such a hold on our collective fascination? Do cowboys of legend really reflect the reality of our frontier past? Or are they towering figures of pure imagination? 

COWBOY: How Hollywood Invented the Wild West delivers an entertaining expose of the tumultuous, birth and explosive expansion of this al-American heroic image.  An accomplished writer on popular culture, Holly George-Warren follows the trail of the cowboy back to his humble origins and then up through his evolution of incarnations—from Buffalo Bill to Hopalong Cassidy, from John Wayne to Gene Autry from Jane Russell to Nat King Cole.  Along the way archival photographs, movie stills and vintage promotional material (including Tom Mix eating his Wheaties) showcase cowfolk – both authentic and ideal – in all their rugged and dazzling glory. 

Combining exhaustive research with lively insider anecdotes, COWBOY traces the myth-making story from its start on the Chisholm Trail just after the end of the Civil War. Far from the fabled landscapes of Monument Valley, tough cowhands, intrepid gunslingers, and formidable law enforcers began to gain notoriety. Before long, the exploits of the Sundance Kid (a.k.a. Harry Longbaugh, at least in his native Wyoming), James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, and unsung black and Chinese frontier pioneers inspired a dime novel publishing boom. Moving from the page to the road, the cowboy craze soon sparked traveling Wild West extravaganzas. When silent movies hit the screens, cowboys blazed trails again-starting with The Great Train Robbery and culminating with the stardom of William S. Hart, born in Newburgh, New York. In successive decades, cowboys took bold detours into singing (from Roy Rogers to Rex Allen), television (from The Lone Ranger to "Bonanza"), and back to serious movies (from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance to Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven). 
COWBOY is packed with amusing tales, amazing facts, telling quotes, and eye-opening insights. 

For Western movie fans, as well as anyone with an avid interest in American history and folklore, COWBOY is a wild read. 

Holly George-Warren is the author of the definitive account of “cowboy” fashion, How the West Was Worn. A prolific writer and editor, she has contributed to numerous anthologies, magazines, and newspapers, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Oxford American, and Village Voice. Also an established producer and music consultant, she received a Grarnrny nomination for Best Historical Recording for co-producing the CD anthology “R-E-S-P-E-C-T: A Century of Women in Music.” She lives in Phoenicia, New York. 

Order from the Gene Autry 
Oklahoma Museum
P. O. Box 67
Gene Autry, OK 73436

Phone 580.294.3047