"Compelling . A fascinating popular history." - Roundup Magazine of Western Writers of America "Well written and thoroughly researched, the book includes crisp, vivid chapters .  A paean to the daring souls who braved the forbidding environment." - Southwestern Historical Quarterly "Impressive research . well-written . A welcome addition to that small shelf of books on one of the wildest and wooliest rivers in the West." - Austin American-Statesman "One of the definitive works on this area and way of life.

 Patrick Dearen has established himself as a productive and prolific scholar of far West Texas." - West Texas Historical Association Year Book "Patrick Dearen has meticulously researched , compiled, and written a fascinating book about the denizens of one of the harshest regions of the Southwest." - True West "Well-researched, well-written, and rich with tales of hardship, heroics,  and dreams in the years before the great cattle drives finally gave way to cattle trucks." - Dallas Morning News "A well-written, vivid account of the life a cowboy experienced working in the Pecos River and southern New Mexico area." - The West News In the late 1880s, the Pecos River region of Texas and southern New Mexico was known as "the cowboy's paradise." And the cowboys who worked in and around the river were known as "the most expert cowboys in the world." A Cowboy of the Pecos vividly reveals tells the story of the Pecos cowboy from the first Goodnight-Loving cattle drive to the 1920s. These meticulously researched and entertaining stories offer a glimpse into a forgotten and yet mythologized era.

Includes archival photographs.Patrick Dearen is the author of seven books, including When Cowboys Die, a finalist for the Spur Award, and three other books on the history of the Pecos River region. He lives in Midland, Texas.