THE LOOK OF THE OLD WEST

This might very well prove to be a permanent reference tool in the category of authentic facts about Western minutiae- from post-Civil War days to the end of the century. With the continued interest in true Westerns, the ""vital statistics"" of the Old West add up to what men wore, their horses and gear, their guns and other weapons, their homes- or what they used for shelters, the jobs they held, the implements of their farms, the horses, cattle, steers of the range, the ways they traveled, and all the impedimenta of daily living. This material is available in countless sources, but here a vast amount is brought together under one cover, with detailed drawings accompanying the text. And the style? Well, presumably Foster-Harris wants to make it sound as though he were talking, colloquially, with a period and regional flavor to the slang and the lingo, and addressing his remarks to an interested audience. It certainly won't strengthen the hand of the teacher of English as it should be spoken and written. The market? Those who are fascinated by facts about the Old West- readers of true Westerns and Western yarns -- and the boys (girls too) who find this still the most interesting segment of our country's history.