cover image Tales of an Old Horsetrader: The First Hundred Years

Tales of an Old Horsetrader: The First Hundred Years

Leroy Judson Daniels. University of Iowa Press, $0 (235pp) ISBN 978-0-87745-173-0

Daniels, who here looks back on his 100 years of country living, seems to have had many lives. At the age of 10, he bought his first cow for his father, who immediately predicted an excellent future for his son in cattle dealing. As a boy and later as a young man, Daniels seemed capable of braving the elements and getting the job done. He gives a lesson on how to calm wild horses and tame them without breaking their spirits. He relates amusing anecdotes about his siblings, his engagement at the age of two, his advice to Henry Ford that horses were much more useful than cars would ever be, his belief that cows were put on earth to be eaten. Daniels is a riveting storyteller, and this book is a must both for those interested in oral histories of rural America and anyone who wants to read good tales. (October)