A picture for the book The Log of a Cowboy

The Log of a Cowboy


Widely considered the most authentic narrative of cowboy life ever written, The Log of a Cowboy follows the passage of Tommy Moore, a young cowboy helping to drive three thousand circle-dot longhorns along the Great Western Cattle Trail from Brownsville, Texas to Montana in 1882. The book is based on author Andy Adams' experiences on the trail. He wrote The Log of a Cowboy as a response to the unrealistic cowboy stories that were being written at that time in American history. The Log of a Cowboy is a compelling American classic, first published in 1903, and continues to be reprinted due to its enduring popularity. Readers with an interest in the Old West will appreciate this book's historical account celebrating the American cowboy.

Featured in our collection of 25 Great American Novels

The Log of a Cowboy meeting indians


Chapter I. Up the Trail

Chapter II. Receiving

Chapter III. The Start

Chapter IV. The Atascosa

Chapter V. A Dry Drive

Chapter VI. A Reminiscent Night

Chapter VII. The Colorado

Chapter VIII. On the Brazos and Wichita

Chapter IX. Doan's Crossing

Chapter X. "No Man's Land"

Chapter XI. A Boggy Ford

Chapter XII. The North Fork

Chapter XIII. Dodge

Chapter XIV. Slaughter's Bridge

Chapter XV. The Beaver

Chapter XVI. The Republican

Chapter XVII. Ogalalla

Chapter XVIII. The North Platte

Chapter XIX. Forty Islands Ford

Chapter XX. A Moonlight Drive

Chapter XXI. The Yellowstone

Chapter XXII. Our Last Camp-Fire

Chapter XXIII. Delivery

Chapter XXIV. Back to Texas

Return to the Andy Adams library.