The Cowboy Boot Book

This book has inspired the purchase of several pairs of boots and visits to several of the makers featured. Who knew all this talent and handmade product was right here in Texas? A few are already gone, and will be sorely missed. I keep having to buy another copy as people keep mine when I lend it. Great book!

This is Tyler & Jim's first "boot book" and it has turned more people into boot collectors and bootmakers than any other. I think it's because of the great personal stories it tells ...and the portrait Jim took of each maker. This book has the look and feel of a treasure map. Originally printed in 1992, it's remarkable that it's still in print. Get it while you can.

This is a book that works on many levels making it a great introduction to the history, art, and craft of cowboy bootmaking. It quotes Jack Reed, the only owner of a one-man boot shop left in Texas, saying it takes 372 steps to make cowboy boots, but is not detailed enough to list them all. Until I read this book, I had no idea that there was a market in vintage cowboy boots. I found out that original ornate tops can be fitted with a replaced foot to bring old boots back to life. Jim Arndt's photographs of boots, bootmakers, and boot collectors are outstanding throughout and really bring the book to life. The beginning of the book does an admirable job tracing the history of cowboy boots back to the old Texas-to-Kansas cattle drives of the post-Civil War era. This is followed by a great A - Z directory of the various skins that have been used to make the boots including characteristics, care, and current availability. The next section is a great history of the major boot making factories and the people behind them with chapters on Justin, Nocona, Tony Lama, Lucchese, and Rocketbuster. The rest of the book covers the rest of the cowboy boot business and personalities. Included are descriptions of individual bootmakers and cowboy boot collectors. Each is lavishly illustrated with pictures of them and their boots. The author and photographer are avid collectors and their collections are covered in this section of the book. The book ends with an outline of the retail side of the industry. Major sellers of new and vintage boots are described and a state-by-state Store Guide is included. Of course, not every state has a custom bootmaker or a vintage cowboy boot store, but you can still find the nearest one if this book has convinced you that you are ready for the next step above looking in the Yellow Pages under Western Apparel. The only place where I felt this book went too far is when they say in the caption to a photograph: "the details of this pair of boots could be compared to a fine oil painting." But if you want a basic knowledge of cowboy boots, or love to look at cowboy boots either in a store or on other people's feet this is the book for you.

Yep, I'm a boot wearin' Jewish cowboy! (A doctor, in fact!) I started Country & Western line dancing a couple years ago, and from there I got into boots. Been wearin' 'em ever since!That said, I was totally blown away by the unbelievable hand-made boots in this book. Spectacularly photographed, they appear as works of art. (I see that the same authors are publishing a book later this year called "The Art of the Boot". You know I'll be buying a copy!). I personally have a couple pairs of wonderful Tony Lama boots that fit like a glove, but the boots in this book are in a different class entirely - we're talking ten times more expensive than anything you might find on the shelf at a western wear store.It'll be a while before I can afford any of the boots in this book, but it's nice to admire them, and appreciate the craftsmanship and dedication that went into making them.

Filled with great photographs and lots of info, this book is a visual kick in the butt as well as an interesting look at wearers and makers of boots. (Surprise inside - Imelda wasn't the only one with a problem.) The author's interest in the fancy, short boots of the 40's is apparent in the book; after all, they are fascinating to look at. On the other hand, there is not a lot of history associated with the development of the cowboy boot as an article of working clothing, or how it became a touchstone of American culture. In a nutshell, the book is a magnificent coffee table work that is much too informative to leave in the living room. There is nothing else quite like it in print and it is a must have for anyone into things Western.