A Collection of Cowboy Logic

Book excerpt: Some may consider pairing the words "cowboy" and "logic" as oxymoronic as putting together terms like "jumbo shrimp," a "plastic glass" or "deafening silence." The logic of living with a bunch of ornery critters, being broke three-quarters of the time and making your home just down the road from the middle of nowhere may be questionable, but for a few people like Ryan Taylor, it's as logical as breathing fresh air. A Collection of Cowboy Logic brings together a whole herd of columns written by Ryan Taylor and published in several magazines across the prairies of both the U.S. and Canada. Many faithful readers consider his stories wry and welcome relief for the struggles of life on the land. The scenes come from the dusty side of the corral and the muddy end of the feedyard where humor is the key to survival. Cowboy Logic finds the humorous angle in the everyday trials of a young rancher on the rural plains, and, almost by accident, it's a little bit insightful. A Collection of Cowboy Logic is illustated by Steve Stark, a nationally award-winning editorial cartoonist for The Forum newspaper in Fargo, N.D. He illustrated the book after losing a spittin' and whittlin' contest with the author. Book jacket.