B O O K S

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12/2005. xxix, 170 pages. 68 b/w halftones, 21 b/w line art, CD
0896725693
978-0-89672-569-0

Buck Ramsey’s Grass: With Essays on His Life and Work

By Buck Ramsey
Edited by Scott Braucher and Bette Ramsey
Foreword by B. Byron Price

2006 Will Rogers Medallion

"Buck wrote his poems about the good, the decent, the honest, the heroes without armor, without swords, without wealth, who swear fealty not to a lord, but to the brand. . . . If you have any interest in cowboys, the cowboy way of life, or the Old West, you owe it to yourself to own this commemorative edition."—Roundup Magazine

"Highly recommended . . . A perfect introduction to the wit and wisdom of Buck Ramsey."—Midwest Book Review

“[Ramsey is] one of the most revered figures in cowboy subculture.”—Texas Monthly

First published as And As I Rode Out on the Morning, Buck Ramsey’s epic poem of cowboy life is a classic. In this edition, the editors have restored the poem’s original title, Grass, and have gathered insightful commentaries on Ramsey’s work from poets, musicians, historians, and others devoted to the cowboy way and movement. Completing the package are Ramsey’s original short story on which he based the poem and a CD of the original 1990 recording of Ramsey performing Grass in John Hartford’s home studio in Nashville, introduced by Andy Wilkinson.

Buck Ramsey (1938–1998) affectionately claimed the cowboy poets as his tribe. They in turn call him the father of cowboy poetry. Anthem, the prologue to Grass, is often praised as the finest single piece of literature to arise from the cowboy renaissance. This edition is essential reading for anyone interested in cowboy poetry or the cowboy way of life.

“The story of Billy Deaver’s entry into manhood and the world is a tale that was lived in the flesh by hundreds of young cowboys in the days of the big ranches and long cattle drives. It is a Texas story, a Western story, an American story. This book serves as tribute to a man who is sorely missed, but whose spirit lives gloriously in his work.”—Bryan Woolley

“A literary genius, Buck is and always will be my hero.”—Red Steagall

Scott Braucher has been a photojournalist and held photo and copy editor positions with newspapers in Arizona, California, and Texas.

Bette Ramsey lives in Amarillo, Texas, and is a retired school counselor from Highland Park Independent School District. She works part-time for the district as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator and grant writer. Bette and Buck were married for more than thirty-five years.