The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 76, July 1972 - April, 1973 Page: 349

Book Reviews

silent partner in a nearby ranch operation. Although Will never had
been on horseback, he was ambitious to become a cowboy and overcame
almost insurmountable obstacles to achieve that end.
This partial biography by his widow tells how Will learned the arts
of riding, roping, and branding and how he became familiar with such
problems as homesteading and fencing in the era in which the open
range of free grass was giving way to individually owned ranches. The
narrative embraces the coming of railroads, the upgrading of cattle, and
the achievement of order and law.
The book brings in such familiar figures as Chief Quanah Parker and
Charles Goodnight, and shows that not all ranching activity was pro-
gressively successful. There were setbacks from drouths, prairie fires,
blizzards, and cattle rustling, all of which, plus poor management,
brought disaster to the ranch in which Will's father had an interest.
In time Will not only became a top cow hand but was trusted by
many ranchmen in handling and marketing their cattle. In years after
those treated here he leased the Spur Ranch of more than half a million
acres and began buying ranches for himself. When he died in 1960 he
owned 140,000 acres that grazed more than o,ooo head of fine cattle.
Mrs. Lewis, who was twenty-one years younger than her husband, did
not know him in the period of which she writes here. Yet she obtained so
much information from him and from his friends that her book reads
like a firsthand account. Written in a sprightly style and illustrated from
photographs, it holds the reader's interest and gives a memorable view
of the Panhandle as it emerged from frontier conditions and became an
important part of today's cattle kingdom. It also reveals the Texas cow-
man as an embodiment of independence and enterprise.
Dallas, Texas WAYNE GARD
The Etchings of Edward Borein: A Catalogue of His Work. By John
Galvin. Compiled with the assistance of Warren R. Howell. In
collaboration with Harold G. Davidson. (San Francisco: John
Howell-Books, 1971. Pp. vi+ 249. Illustrations. $15.)
There is little chance when John Galvin and Warren R. Howell col-
laborate on a book that it will be anything but accomplished. When
they decide to treat the work of such an esteemed artist as Edward
Borein, there is even less chance that it will be anything but outstand-

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