Here’s a book as big and beautiful as the West itself, dedicated to the larger-than-life figure who symbolizes the American spirit. Whether the straight-shooting hero from a John Wayne movie or the lawless gunslinger spreading mayhem, the cowboy lassos the imagination and just won’t let go. On these magnificently illustrated pages unfold cowboy life and legend, cowboys around the world, the cowboy’s ranching roots, modern-day cowboys, cowboy food and fun, and the cowboy in film and popular culture. Quotations from Western poems, songs, and novels offer contemporary perspectives, as do the old-time posters and nostalgic advertisements. An astounding variety of photos show it all. There’s also absorbing background on black cowboys, vaqueros, women who rode the range, and rodeos.