To most people, John Lennon was a legend, an artistic master who was larger than life. But his real story is that of a man--not the ex-Beatle, not the activist, not the hero. Here is a warm, honest portrait drawn by a close friend, the story of a gifted man struggling with himself, his family, and his art on the eve of his long-awaited comeback. Martin's.

"I've known about Ike Blasingame all my life, knew many of his fellow punchers, white and Indian. Ike was certainly a salty representative of the Texas bronc twister when he came North with that most romantic of cow outfits, the British-owned Matador. . . . [He] takes the reader across the treacherous Missouri River as the spring-softened ice goes out under the horses' feet, into the still wild cow towns, through the round-ups, the prairie fires. . . . There is the authentic smell and feel of the Northern cow country of fifty years ago in the story Ike Blasingame tells."-Mari Sandoz"Here is one of the most gripping Western tales since Andy Adams' The Log of a Cowboy was published in 1903. The telling is considerably like Adams'-warm, human, flavorful. The author, a one-time Matador ranch cowboy, . . . lived his story, and he tells it straight in the language of the cow country without contrivance."-New York Times"Many of the cowboys who have written about their experiences never really looked at any wider segment of the cattle business than was visible between their horses' ears, but Ike Blasingame did. He paints a big picture without omitting details."-New York Herald-Tribune

"Using the writings of his grandmother, Margaret Spader Neises, and mother, Joan Neises Volk, author Craig Volk creates a one-year diary that details the life and times of a woman during 1932."--

Content warning: Some illustrations and stories depict racist stereotypes to describe Native Americans. Stanford Libraries collects and makes these materials available to facilitate scholarly research and education, and does not endorse the viewpoints within. Our collections may contain language, images, or content that are offensive or harmful.

52 day trips in North Dakota.

Tired of the same old tourist traps? Whether you’re a visitor or a local looking for something different, let The Dakotas Off the Beaten Path show you a side of North and South Dakota you never knew existed. See the house Pa built during the annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in De Smet, South Dakota. Excavate mammoth bones in the Black Hills or spelunk in some of the world’s largest caves. Dance to Norwegian fiddles at North America’s largest Scandinavian festival, or lose yourself in the brilliant splendor of a powwow. So if you’ve “been there, done that” one too many times, get off the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path.