Andy Adams (May 3, 1859 – September 26, 1935) was an American writer of

Western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

Life and career

Andy Adams was born in Thorncreek Township, Indiana, the son of Andrew Adams, who was of Irish descent, and Elizabeth Elliott, who was of Scottish descent. As a boy, he helped with the cattle and horses on the family farm. During the early 1880s, he went to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he stayed for 10 years, spending much of that time driving cattle on the western trails. In 1890, he tried working as a businessman, but the venture failed, so he tried gold mining in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. In 1894, he settled in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

, where he lived until his death. He began writing at the age of 43, publishing his most successful book, ''The Log of a Cowboy'', in 1903. His other works include ''A Texas Matchmaker'' (1904), ''The Outlet'' (1905), ''Cattle Brands'' (1906), ''Reed Anthony, Cowman: An Autobiography'' (1907), ''Wells Brothers'' (1911), and ''The Ranch on the Beaver'' (1927). ''The Log of a Cowboy'' is an account of a five-month drive of 3,000 cattle from

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

, to

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

during 1882 along the

Great Western Cattle Trail The Great Western Cattle Trail is the name used today for a cattle trail established during the late 19th century for moving beef stock and horses to markets in eastern and northern states. It ran west of and roughly parallel to the better know ...

. Although the book is fiction, it is based on Adams's own experiences, and it is considered by many to be literature's best account of cowboy life.Harvey L. Carter, "Retracing a Cattle Drive: Andy Adams's 'The Log of a Cowboy, ''Arizona & the West'' (1981) 23#4 pp 355-378. Adams was disgusted by the unrealistic cowboy fiction being published in his time; ''The Log of a Cowboy'' was his response. It is still in print, and even modern reviewers consider it compelling. A ''Chicago Herald'' reviewer said: "As a narrative of cowboy life, Andy Adams' book is clearly the real thing. It carries its own certificate of authentic first-hand experience on every page."

Works

*1903: ''The Log of a Cowboy'' *1904: ''A Texas Matchmaker'' *1905: ''The Outlet'' *1906: ''Cattle Brands: A Collection of Western Camp-fire Stories'' - contains 14 short stories. *1907: ''Reed Anthony, Cowman: An Autobiography'' - Adams breathes life into the story of a Texas cowboy who becomes a wealthy and influential cattleman. *1911: ''The Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings'' - tells the tale of two orphaned boys, who against all odds and in the face of numerous calamities, establish their own cattle ranch. It was followed by a sequel, ''The Ranch on the Beaver'' (1927). *1927: ''The Ranch on the Beaver: A Sequel to Wells Brothers''.

References

External links

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by Andy Adams''
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Classic ReaderReview of Log of a Cowboy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Andy 1859 births 1935 deaths Novelists from Colorado American cattlemen American Western (genre) novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers American male novelists Novelists from Indiana Writers from Colorado Springs, Colorado

Life and career

Works

References

Further reading

External links