The Day the Cowboys Quit »

Elmer Kelton, author of more than forty novels, grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. For forty-two years he had a parallel career in agricultural journalism.

Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Among his best-known works have been The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys, the latter made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones.

He served in the infantry in World War II. He and his wife, Ann, a native of Austria, live in San Angelo, Texas. They have three children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

In a Western Writers of America survey, The Day the Cowboys Quit was voted one of the top 25 Best Western Novels of all-time.

The time is 1883; the place is the Texas Panhandle. Cowboys refuse to be stigmatized as drinkers and exploited by the wealthy cattle owners who don't pay livable wages. Those very same ranchers want to take away the cowboys' right to own cattle because this ownership, the ranchers believe, would lead to thieving. So, in 1883, the dictum is set: If you're a cowboy, you can't own a cow. When rumors of such legislations travel from wagon to wagon, the cowboys decide to rally and fight for their rights - they gather together and strike.

Publishers Weekly

Samantha (Sam) Ryder and Jake Raincrow recognize when they meet as small children that their love will constantly have to fight to survive. Jake's mother, Sarah Raincrow, and Sam's aunt, wealthy and evil Alexandra Vanderveer Lomax, have been archenemies since Alex entrapped Sarah's brother into marrying her and giving her the family's most valued possession, the Pandora ruby. Sam and Jake grow into talented adults: she uses her hands to weave beautiful tapestries; he uses his sixth sense--the gift of his Cherokee heritage--to read minds, hunt for gems and find people lost in the North Carolina hills. The two finally marry. But Alex uses bribes, lies and murder to control Sam and to ruin her relationship with Jake. In attempting to do so, she causes the deaths of many in their families and forces Jake into a 10-year jail sentence. It is not until Jake is free, Alex is dead and the ruby is abandoned that Sam and Jake are able to trust one another and love again. While the pace steadies after an uneven start and intrigue abounds, Deborah Smith's ( Blue Willow ) characters, notably Alex, are at once hollow and overdrawn. (Mar.)