Will James'
Book of Cowboy Stories

Will James' Book of Cowboy Stories is a gathering of some of the most entertaining illustrated stories of cowboy life from the Will James collection. This long-awaited reprinting of the last Will James book will satisfy readers’ nostalgic longing for the freedom, adventure, and danger of life on the wide-open ranges. So sit back on your spurs, pour yourself a cup of thick, black camp coffee, and let Will James transport you to bygone days of cowpunching, cattle rustling, bronc busting, and drifting in the American West.

Available in hardcover only.

All in the Day's Riding

Available in both hardcover and paperback.

The American Cowboy

Available only in hardcover.

Big-Enough

Available only in paperback.

Cow Country

Imagine round-up wagons, saddle horses, riders, branding irons, and the wide open range, a place where "there's not a fence as far as you can see, nothin' but blue grass ripplin' in the sun." Will James delivers all of that and more in this collection of eight stories.

Available only in paperback.

Cowboy in the Making

Billy is orphaned at the age of four when a steer gores his father. A year later, Billy leaves his home ranch--the only life he has known--and strikes out across the land with Bopy, an old French-Canadian trapper. Bopy doesn't speak English very well, but they develop a strong friendship as they gallop across plains, over mountains, and through forested landscapes. While Bopy is busy prospecting and trapping, Billy spends his time drawing, reading, roping with cowboys, and playing with his pet wolves, Gros and Otay. Through his adventures, Billy discovers what he values most and learns that he can weather anything life throws at him, including a nosy grizzly bear and the harsh winter of the Canadian north country.
First published in 1937, Cowboy in the Making is a timeless coming-of-age story that shows how life experiences develop character. Will James's writing and his 25 pen-and-ink drawings capture a boy's view of the West at the turn of the twentieth century.
For ages 10 and up.

Available in hardcover only.

Cowboys North and South

A classic collection of eight cowboy stories, now available in a new edition for the first time in decades. Cowboys North and South showcases Will James's talent for capturing the lifestyle and picturesque vernacular of the American cowboy.

Available in both hardcover and paperback.

The Dark Horse

Sent away as a colt because his color didn't reflect his fine racing lineage, Colonel—the Dark Horse—finds himself in a strange land thousands of miles from home. Charro, born in the arid badlands of the West and orphaned at a few months of age, is rescued from starvation by a cowboy named Brad. At the Hip-O Ranch on the edge of the badlands, fate brings these two colts together to form an unbreakable bond.
At first, the two colts are content to be fed and groomed by human hands. But one day, when someone leaves a corral gate open, Colonel and Charro head off into wild-horse country for adventure and a taste of freedom. Along the way, they outsmart four mountain lions, survive a mustang attack, and kick dirt in the face of the mustangers who want to capture them and sell 'em to the highest bidder.
With forty line drawings and colorful prose, Will James vividly renders two weak-kneed, green colts who become the best of their breeds: Colonial, a race-winning champion, and Charro, the wiliest wild mustang the West has ever seen.
For ages 10 and up.

Available in paperback only.

The Drifting Cowboy

First published in 1925, these seven stories revolve around the adventures of a lanky cowboy named Bill, whose drifting takes him throughout the West as he lives the hard life of a working cowboy.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Flint Spears: Cowboy Rodeo Contestant

Join Flint Spears in his quest to be the best all-around cowboy on the rodeo circuit, from busting broncs in the very first rodeo on the range to roping steers in front of royalty in Europe. Anyone who enjoys Will James or western lore will enjoy this novel that's bustin' with ornery strings of outlaw horses, sailing lariats, and broken bones.
First published in 1938, Flint Spears captures the terror and triumph of the rodeo circuit from its beginnings. Will James's prose and 30 pen-and-ink drawings place you in the stands cheering the flawless bronc riders and booing all those cowboys and cowgirls that "grab leather." After reading Flint Spears and looking at the 21 black-and-white photographs, you'll need to brush the dust off your chaps--and you too will understand why the rodeo is "the finest, squarest, and hardest fought contest there is."
Flint Spears: Cowboy Rodeo Contestant is the sixteenth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Home Ranch

Without pulling a single six-gun, fanning a trigger, or using any other stock device of western fiction, Will James tells the story of life on the Seven X Ranch during the early 1900s. This authentic portrait of a ranching family details their dangerous work, their dreams and aspirations, and the rugged land in which they lived.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Horses I've Known

Fourteen short stories capture the quirky and peculiar behavior of horses, both good and ornery. You'll meet buckers, tricksters, and trusted partners: Bearcat is “not just a plain crazy hardheaded bucker…but a wise, cool-headed cross between a whirlwind and a ton of brick,” Joker is “full of the old nick and plenty of snorts,” and Little Eagle is the “seeing eye” for a blind cowboy. First published in 1940, Horses I’ve Known contains some of Will James’ most acclaimed short stories.

Sorry out of stock.

In the Saddle with Uncle Bill

The day after arriving for their third summer on the Five Barb Ranch, twelve-year-old Kip and thirteen-year-old Scootie ride out with Uncle Bill to round up horses. They find the bunch they want, but three renegade horses stir up trouble and lead Uncle Bill on a wild chase. Kip and Scootie try to keep up through the rough hills but end up lost and on foot. Over the next few days, they learn plenty about resourcefulness and self-reliance, for, as Uncle Bill says, "Old Mother Nature and necessity sure don't stinge on education." Join Kip, Scootie, and Uncle Bill for some wild adventures in the saddle, bareback, and on foot as they follow each other's tracks and find--among other things--the three renegade horses.
In the Saddle with Uncle Bill is Will James's second book with Kip, Scootie, and the wily cowboy, and the fourteenth title in the Tumbleweed Series. James's illustrations of these memorable characters capture the energy and excitement of life in the wide-open West.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Lone Cowboy: My Life Story

In Lone Cowboy, Will James revives the scenes, people, and customs of the turn-of-the-century American West. Today regarded as a fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy follows the character of James the cowboy from a boy to an accomplished artist.

Available in paperback only.

Look-See with Uncle Bill

After a dreary winter of studying hard and making good grades in their big eastern-city home, Kip and Scootie are ready for another summer out west. Barely an hour after exiting the train, they are in the saddle again galloping onto the open range to help their uncles Frank and Bill drive a herd of cattle to market. It's exactly what they want--adventure.
Their first night out a terrible thunderstorm incinerates a pine tree and scatters the herd. Kip and six of the bulls are lost in the confusion. Despite the mishap, more soggy nights on the range, and a close call crossing a flooding creek, Kip's and Scootie's spirits soar with excitement. This is their third summer on the range, and action is what they have come to expect.
Look-See with Uncle Bill is Will James's third book with Kip and Scootie and the eighteenth book in the Tumbleweed Series. James's 30 line drawings make it clear to the reader why Kip and Scootie are ready to trade in the fine china and glitter of the big city for rock plates and campfires.
For ages 10 and up.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

My First Horse

Through Will James's accomplished storytelling and expressive drawings, readers will enter the magical world of childhood where a rocking horse rounds up cattle and toy ponies gather in a homemade corral. This story is sure to delight every reader who has yearned for a horse and the life of a cowboy.

Available only in hardcover.

Sand

This is the story about "sand"--the gumption it takes to tackle the challenges of life. Set in the high plains, the characters are cowboys and horses. And the heart of the story is the hero's long duel with the black stallion, and how "the little grain of sand within him" starts to grow.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Scorpion: A Good Bad Horse

A scorpion grabs you with its claws, but its poison comes from where you'd least expect it--the tip of its tail. A fine-looking chestnut bronc receives the name Scorpion when he explodes unexpectedly after several days of unusually good behavior. "That horse," a bronco-busting cowboy says, "is going to be either mighty good or mighty bad."
One day Tim, an outlaw on the run, trades his tired horse for Scorpion, and the two forge a relationship of destiny. Though never a well-broke horse, Scorpion acts truly wicked only when Tim makes poor decisions--thus keeping Tim out of trouble. With a little unsolicited help from Scorpion, Tim finds romance and a reason to clear his name.
First published in 1936, Scorpion, A Good Bad Horse is the fifteenth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints. James illustrated this tale with 45 pen-and-ink drawings.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Smoky: The Cowhorse

Smoky, the Cowhorse is the story of a horse--from his first hours on the prairie sod to his final years out to pasture. Smoky grows up wild and wise to the ways to the range, fighting wolves and braving stiff winds. Clint, a bronco-busting cowboy on the Rocking R Ranch, spots the spirited four-year-old and thinks it is the finest little horse he ever saw. After many adventurous years on the Rocking R, Smoky mysteriously disappears, only to turn up later as an outlaw bucking horse on the rodeo circuit.
The reader follows the story--from range to ranch to rodeo--through Smoky's eyes. We feel his terror of man, his struggle against the rope, his growing love for turning cows, and his anger when mistreated.
First published in 1926, Smoky, the Cowhorse is for anyone who loves horses the way Will James did. As James writes in the preface, "Smoky is just a horse, but all horse, and that I think is enough said."

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Sun Up: Tales of the Cow Camps

Sun Up collects some of James' best stories from his previous work along with seven original stories, all accompanied by the author's lively illustrations. Here are sixteen stories of cowboys growing up, learning the ropes, proving their mettle, even falling in love, each told in the inimitable, colorful style of Will James. In a corral, at a rodeo, on the open range--wherever there are cowboys and horses--Will James will take you there with his spirited prose and energetic drawings.

Available only in paperback.

The Three Mustangeers

Ride with Andy, Stub, and Hugh as they rope and wrangle their way into all sorts of adventures—and some trouble too! Old habits die hard for riders with outlaw ways, and when a range superintendent hires them to round up the orneriest mustangs in the country, they find a way to pad the numbers. With the money from the job, the mustangers start an honest ranch, but a crotchety cattleman crowds their turf--that is, until they set him straight with some tricks of their own. This fast-paced tale of riding, roping, and rustling is sure to set your spurs a-jingling for the frontier spirit of the Old West.
The tenth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints, The Three Mustangeers, first published in 1933, is a classic novel of cowboy life. In the same tradition as Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, James weaves a tale of friendship, loyalty, and adventure on the high plains.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

Uncle Bill: A Tale of Two Kids and a Cowboy

Ten-year-old Kip and his eleven-year-old sister Scootie travel from the city to spend the summer on a western ranch. They learn to ride, to throw a rope, and almost everything a cowboy needs to know from one of the best and kindest of cowboys--old uncle Bill. Kip and Scootie ask lots of questions about cowboying--the ones you've always wanted to ask--and Uncle Bill patiently responds, coloring his answers with stories from his younger days of riding the rough string. He tells them how handling cattle came to be called cowpunching, what hackamores and tapideros are for, and why some horses have a wild nature. Uncle Bill's wisdom and knowledge keep the children out of trouble--most of the time--as they ride the range and join in the roundup. So ride along with Kip, Scootie, and Uncle Bill on a western adventure you'll never forget.
Will James wrote Uncle Bill--the first of three books that feature the wise old cowboy--specifically for children, but the story will delight readers of all ages who want to learn about the cowboy life. Uncle Bill: A Tale of Two Kids and a Cowboy is the eighth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints.

Available in both paperback and hardcover.

The Will James Cowboy Book

In 1938, a limited number of The Will James Cowboy Book were published as supplemental readers for Texas school children. Never widely distributed, this is the first time that this rare Will James title has been made available to the general public. In addition to presenting favorite tales from Smokey, the Cowhorse and All in the Day's Riding, the author includes useful instruction on how to read brands. Illustrated with fifty-three pen-and-ink drawings, this short-story collection is sure to delight and entertain both children and adults.

Available only in hardcover.

The Will James Books
A Descriptive Bibliography for Enthusiasts and Collectors
Don Frazier

Available in paperback only.

Young Cowboy

By the time Billy Roper was one year old, his dad was toting him along on horseback rides, and in a few more years Billy was leading his own pony around the corral. While keeping the branding fire hot at roundup time, young Billy watches the skillful riding and roping of the ranch hands and learns about the hard work and responsibilities required of a cowboy. In between rides around the ranch, Billy takes on the serious business of learning to read and write his ABCs, coaxed along by the incentive of writing an order for his first pair of spurs. Readers aged 8 and up who have dreamed of riding and owning a horse will gallop through Young Cowboy, reining in just long enough to imagine themselves in the thirty-one line drawings and five color paintings that illustrate the story.
James's first publisher, Charles Scribner's Sons, arranged and modified a few of James's earlier stories into this book specifically for children and published it in 1935. Young Cowboy combines the first six chapters of Big-Enough and the short story "The Young Cowboy" from Sun Up. It is the thirteenth title in the Tumbleweed Series of Will James reprints.
For ages 8 and up.

Available only in hardcover.