The Cattle Kings Author:Lewis Atherton “In this book I have concentrated on the role of the Western cattleman in American culture. I believe that ranchers were far more important than cowboys in shaping cultural developments, and, incidentally, were far more exciting as well.” – Introduction, p. xi — Atherton covers many aspects of the life and influence of the cattleman, with very in... more »teresting stories and anecdotes throughout.
"This is the first real attempt to assay the cattle kings as a managerial and employing class. . . . Anyone considering American entrepreneurship, social history, or the American West will have to consult it."—Joe B. Frantz, Mississippi Valley Historical Review
(Joe B. Frantz Mississippi Valley Historical Review)
"The new image of the cattle country that emerges from Atherton's pages is no less romantic than the prior stereotype; he writes vividly and describes cattle wars and cowtown disorders with as much gusto as authors unrestrained by the truth."—Ray Allen Billington, Chicago Tribune
(Ray Allen Billington Chicago Tribune)
"Professor Atherton has written an intellectual evaluation of the pioneer cattleman in his unique western habitat. It is freshly diverting, smartly written, and probably the best critical review ever presented on this complex subject."—B. W. Allred, Agricultural History