"This is the first real attempt to assay the cattle kings as a managerial and employing class...Anyone considering American entrepreneurship, social history, or the American West will have to consult it."--Joe B. Frantz, Mississippi Valley Historical Review. "The new image of the cattle country that emerges from Atherton's pages is no less romantic than the prior stereotype; he writes vividly and describes cattle wars and cowtown disorders with as much gusto as authors unrestrained by the truth." --Ray Allen Billington, Chicago Tribune. "Professor Atherton has written an intellectual evaluation of the pioneer cattleman in his unique western habitat. It is freshly diverting, smartly written, and probably the best critical review ever presented on this complex subject."--B. W. Allred, Agricultural History.