Description
From the Dust Jacket
The American cowboy has always figured large in this country’s history and tradition. Although the days of the open range and skirmishes with the Indians are long gone, he remains a symbol of masculine independence and continues to lead a working life that keeps him in touch with the elements of nature in the raw. To depict the real cowboy, Bill Surface interviewed dozens of cowhands, ranging from the legendary drifter to the men chasing cattle rustlers. Then, in the spring and fall of a single year, Surface followed a crew of cowboys as they camped at an immense ranch, called the Double Diamond, locked deep in the cattle country of mountainous West Texas. Drawing upon firsthand observation, Surface has written a dramatic account of the events of one roundup season. The focus of the book is Odell, the foreman of the Double Diamond, and his crew of permanent hands. A description of their rough, physical existence brings to life the process of searching for cattle, the treatment of diseased animals, the techniques of breeding and branding, the breaking and training of cow ponies, and the habits of vultures and coyotes on the range. Surface also provides important and surprising details on systematic rustling, the detection of stolen cattle, the shipment of cattle to market, and the doings of the “rodeo cowboy” who is not considered a cowboy at all by working hands. Writing with the eye and ear of a novelist, he captures the relationship of the men to each other, their attitude toward women, their pungent, down-to-earth philosophy. Roundup at the Double Diamond is a vivid and realistic contemporary report on one of America’s traditional and too often conventionalized heroes.
Publishing Information
Roundup at the Double Diamond: The American Cowboy Today by Bill Surface and illustrated by Lorence F. Bjorklund. From the First Printing by Houghton Mifflin Company with 1974 copyright. The ISBN is 0-395-18499-1. This measures about 9-1/4″ x 6-1/4″ and has 237 pages inked in red on the tops.
Condition
Enlarge the photo above. Former small-town library book with the usual markings. The dust jacket has been protected inside a plastic sleeve. The boards are in good condition. The binding is strong. The pages are in very good condition overall with some handling/storage soil on the page edges of the closed book. The biggest damage is the missing front free endpaper; the book starts with the half-title. The book also has a “musty basement” smell which should air out in my home — or yours. No personal names or markings noted. From clean, smoke-free home.
Shipping
Generally sent the same day payment arrives. Unless you request otherwise, I will wrap the book in plastic wrap to help protect it from the elements, create a custom-made cardboard box to ship it in, and send via Media Mail with Delivery Confirmation tracking. See the shipping page for the cost to send a two-pound Media Mail package. Insurance is an additional cost as described. I am delighted to combine postage and insurance costs if you purchase more than one item. The second item may travel for free or just a few cents more — so it’s worth taking a look at my other items before you complete your order.
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