Making Circles by Barney Nelson & Tall in the Saddle by Steve J. Johnson Set

Product Description

Dedicated to all who live the honest cowboy way of life, where one’s word means what it says, and a simple handshake binds a contract.

“Tall in the Saddle is a well-crafted story by my friend Steve Johnson, one that will engage ‘young’ readers of all ages – from five-years-old on up to ninety-five – the same way Will James did for me when I waws a kid growing up in the West. I highly recommend this book for wnyone who has dreams of ever ridin’ Tall in the Saddle.”

– Buck Brannaman

“Tall in the Saddle is a humorous and heartfelt story for young and old, where one can’t help but feel like a player in it. Steve Johnson proves he can paint colorful stories with words just as well as with brushes.”

– Jennifer Dennison, Senior Editor, Western Horseman Magazine

“With heart-stirring stories of family life, horses and ranch work, and the ethics of the great American Cowboy, Tall in the Saddle will delight readers who know well this lifestyle – and those who don’t yet.”

– Drew and Natalia Mischianti, Ranch Academy, Milan, Italy, Elko, Nevada

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In Making Circles, Barney Nelson unveils working-class cowboy culture through the eyes of one who has lived the life she chronicles. From living on ranch camps to surviving both cowboy school and graduate school, Nelson’s story is a journey through time and place, pointing out that cowboys inhabit every continent and century, from Lakota Indians and Hawaiian paniolos to Argentine gauchos and Australian ringers, from Pegasus to Cervantes and Tolstoy. Even Thoreau called himself a cowboy.

Nelson’s story is both personal and expansive, guiding the reader in circles around the modern West, from Montana to Mexico. Along the way, she celebrates the many characters she has encountered and considers role models. Unafraid to challenge the status quo, Nelson fearlessly defends embattled ranchers as well as the humanities, while speaking truth to the powerful forces of environmentalism, tourism, and urban voters.

Both a primer for aspiring journalists and an insider’s reflection on horse and ranching cultures, this tour de force memoir honors the practice of writing and its manifold benefits: embracing solitude, avoiding boredom, and accepting aging and death as part of human and animal life. Full of valuable tips, lessons learned and taught, and far-ranging musings on philosophy and poetry, Making Circles demonstrates brilliantly the value and meaning of the term “cowboy journalist.”

Softcover, 304 pages.