Cowboys & the Trappings of the Old West

I recently joined NCOWS ( a Cowboy Action Shooting Organization that stresses period correct clothing, guns, hats, boots, etc.) and this book was recommend to me as a good source of photographic documentation on all of the items I would need to have to be properly outfitted, not "Hollywood". I highly recommend this book for others who have similar needs.

I'm a leatherworker and I've just fallen in love with this book. I think it's going to be a fantastic reference because not only does it have a ton of high-quality pictures, but it also goes into great depth about the historical use of every single item there. Absolutely great.

It has a great number of photos that show details of western clothings, accessories, and other items. As a costume designer, I need to see the details for my research, and this book helped me a lot.The book shows everything from hats, bandanas, leather cuffs, spurs, to boots. It also has a nice section on cowgirls.

I found the book both entertaining and informative. The photography and description of the material is excellent. As an amatuer historian on the subject, I found it to be educational as well as concise and pointing out subtle items which could have been overlooked by the casual observer. It is one of those books the reader can either read from cover to cover or open anywhere and dig right in. It covers all aspects of turn-of-the-century attire and accouterments from the working cowboy to the Wild West Show performers. Excellent and entertaining.