Rough and Ready: A History of Cowboy Boots traces an American icon from working cattle trails to the contemporary rodeo, revealing how one silhouette came to carry so much cultural weight. Elizabeth Semmelhack organizes the story across five eras — the multicultural origins of the real working cowboy, the mythmaking of Wild West shows and early film, the rhinestone extravagance of Nudie Cohn and country western, the luxury boom of the Reagan years, and today's reclaimed reinterpretations from Beyoncé and Pharrell to a new generation of bootmakers. Interviews with makers and vivid photography run throughout, making it as rewarding to page through as it is to read.
Hardcover. A natural fit for a coffee table, a shelf, or anyone who owns more than one pair of boots.