Where Did All The Cowboys Go

History is more than national personalities, wars, and horrible catastrophes; it is stories told by people who have lived ordinary lives. In Where Did All the Cowboys Go?, author Joe Millard gives a first-person account of what life was like growing up in rural Iowa in the 1940s. From the perspective of young Gene Millard, this memoir reveals the experiences of a one-room school education where pupils studied geography from a globe, read the childrens classics, learned sportsmanship on the playground, and bought war bonds. It also recounts Genes non-classroom life experiences in Farlin, Iowa, where he learned to play pool at the village gossip center next to the blacksmith shop, loathe boxing in the IOOF hall, and understand friendship at a box social. Genes experiences mirror those of the thousands of children who grew up on farms in the Midwest and Great Plains in the 1940s. The recollection of these memories will lead others to remember the nostalgia of the days of Saturday cowboy movies, participating in Christmas school plays, fishing in creeks, and enjoying community events. It provides a personal perspective of the times and fills a void in the history books.

All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone is the rollicking adventure story of Lincoln Smith, a young Texan living at the beginning of the twentieth century, who thinks of himself as the last true cowboy. He longs for the days of the Old West, when men like his father, a famous Texas Ranger, lived by the chivalric code. Lincoln finds himself hopelessly out of time and place in the fast-changing United States of the new century. When he gets his heart broken by a sweetheart who doesn’t appreciate his anachronistic tendencies, he does what any sensible young romantic would do: he joins the French Foreign Legion. On his way to an ancient and exotic country at the edge of the Sahara, Lincoln encounters a number of curious characters and strange adventures, from a desert hermit who can slow up time to a battle with a crocodile cult that worships the god of death. He meets them all with his own charming brand of courage and resourcefulness.

The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volumes 1 and 2 covers the full range of popular music recordings with virtually unprecedented breadth and depth. In this 2-volume encyclopedia, Sullivan explores approximately 1,000 song recordings from 1889 to the present, telling the stories behind the songs, recordings, performers, and songwriters. From the Victorian parlor ballad and ragtime hit at the end of the 19th century to today’s rock classics, the Encyclopedia progresses through a parade popular music styles, from jazz to blues to country Western, as well as the important but too often neglected genres of ethnic and world music, gospel, and traditional folk. This book is the ideal research tool for lovers of popular music in all its glorious variety.

Joe Millard reflects on the landscape of Iowa in his new poetry collection, Savor the Seasons. His poems portray a land alive with nature, flowing with rivers that are visited by thunderstorms and winter blizzards. This is a place where flowers flourish, rivers reign, grain grows, and people play. Joy and sadness mix with the feel of rain, the sound of wind, the sight of life, and the smell of death. These verses are intended to speak to those who are passionate about the land and have a feel for the soil. The collection is organized by seasons, beginning with spring and ending with winter, with each season speaking in its distinct voice; they may not always obey the calendar, but rather express their moods when they are ready. From his 1953 poem entitled "December," written while he attended high school in Jefferson, Iowa, to "Mississippi Journey," a reflection on Huckleberry Finn's excursion, Millard's poetry captures the true essence of life in the Midwest. Savor the Seasons Heed the spring thunder, enjoy the summer sun, experience an autumn sunset, taste the winter snow, and embrace the magic.

Fourteen stories on old age. In Crazy Heart, an old man reflects on his failed marriage, while Mr. Alello is on the indignity of a lonely death.

"During the 1800s, many settlers moved westward across North America to seek their fortunes as farmers, ranchers, and miners. In the Wild West, there were few towns and few people paid much attention to laws. Readers will take a trip through this thrilling period of American history as they join Louise and Nat for a tale of cowboys in a frontier town. They will find out how people lived, worked, and traveled in the Wild West, and much more."--Publisher's description.