On Down the Road: The World of the Rodeo Cowboy

Written and published 25 years ago, this is a great book about the rodeo, with something like 250 photographs of rodeo cowboys in action, many of them in color. But it's not just a picture book. The author Bill St. John is a sports writer, and he covers the subject with the kind of depth you expect from good sports writing. His specialty is getting up-close and personal with the greats and near-greats of the sport (e.g., Larry Mahan, Donnie Gay, Jim Shoulders, Leo Camarillo), following them around, traveling with them from rodeo to rodeo, sitting up with them in motel rooms late at night, listening to their stories, and capturing their personalities in the way they talk, tell jokes, even sing songs. St. John gives plenty of attention to the events themselves and the action in the arena, including the work of the rodeo clowns, but there's a great deal more about what goes on behind the scenes. He even devotes a chapter to rodeo stock. If you're interested in the excitement of rodeoing and the lives and personal histories of the men and women who "go on down the road," this book is a great read. Find a copy, if you can, and hang onto it.