Songs of the Wild West

The Metropolitan Museum of Art continues the fine tradition established in its previous anthologies of songs ( Go In and Out the Window ; We Wish You a Merry Christmas ). This spirited salute to the American West teams favorite melodies such as ``I Ride an Old Paint,'' ``Sweet Betsy from Pike,'' ``Git Along, Little Dogies'' and what has been called the cowboy national anthem--``Home on the Range''--with such artistic luminaries as Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington and N. C. Wyeth, as well as photographs of frontier memorabilia. Axelrod packs cowboy lore, historical nuggets and astute social commentary into the text that accompanies each song, touching on subjects as varied as chuck wagons, Annie Oakley and the exploitation of immigrant labor in the building of the transcontinental railroad. An index of titles and first lines is included, as well as guitar chord diagrams. Readers from Abilene to Dodge City--even those who can't carry a tune--will want this one for their Americana collections. All ages. (Oct.)