Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1046020 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent little book .. theres another one in there as well
Lovely descriptions of a years work on the range. The author is the same age as me and it gets my total respect ! Hard, dangerous graft regardless of the weather and the man loved it!
The natural beauty of the country ties in well with the colourful characters that work it.
It is a quality read.
There are also things to ponder over and above the basic day to day work. The ranch owner is almost Godlike .. the casual racism , the Cowboy way of life, the increasing buyout of ranch land for sporting or recreational use. These are just some things that make you think about what you are reading and that's why this book is greather than the sum of its parts.

Blows the romantic ideal of a cowboy out the water
I could not put this book down, which is unusual for a non-fiction tale. David McCumber decided to work as a Montana ranch hand to experience what it is truly like to work as a cowboy for a year. It was refreshing to have the author starting the story by knowing as little as the reader does at the beginning of a book! Every new lesson was explained, and the dangers came across in a calm and practical approach not exaggerated as in some books just to make them interesting. Knowing that the people mentioned in this book are real and not just characters, increases the amount of respect you feel for what the go through, every year, voluntarily! This book is essential reading if you want to know what ranchers and cowboys actually have to go through to survive a year in the Montana climate.

A beatifully written book
This is the account of a writer who apparently knowing very little about ranching decided to work on a large 20th century ranch in Montana. In his mid forties, this was obviously a project for a book but although very factual I found in hard to put down and would love to do exactly the same for a year.Surprisingly it took until the middle of the year for the author to actually get on to a horse, spending most of his time servicing vehicles, feeding cows and mending fences on what must be a huge property.Life on a ranch was not what I expected having spent some time on a dude ranch but this was one of the best most compelling books and at times moving books I have read for some time.The authors love of the life, the horses and the scenery was obvious from every page. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.