Longhorns East - by Johnny D Boggs (Paperback)

About the Book

"Tom Candy Ponting was no ordinary trail boss. He didn't smoke, chew, cuss, or even carry a gun. Unlike his competitors, he learned how to herd cows on a farm back in England--and how to handle cowboys in bareknuckle prizefights. But his skills and know-how were really put to the test when he accepts a bet he might live to lead a cattle drive from Texas to New York City. Not one to back down on a dare, Ponting assembles the motliest crew of cowboys ever seen--Texans, Englishmen, Mexicans, Freemen, Cherokee--and charts a course through the unfriendliest country to move seven hundred head of cattle, never easy in the best of times. Along the way, they'll cross railroads and rustlers, hucksters and hustlers, with detours and dead ends aplenty. But if they succeed, the team will make more than just a whole lot of money. They will make history"--

Book Synopsis

From nine-time Spur Award-winning Western author Johnny D. Boggs comes the incredible story of the biggest, longest, wildest cattle drive in America's history--from the heart of Texas to New York City. . .

Tom Candy Ponting was no ordinary trail boss. He didn't smoke, chew, cuss, or even carry a gun. Unlike his competitors, he learned how to herd cows on a farm back in England--and how to handle cowboys in bareknuckle prizefights. But his skills and know-how were really put to the test when he accepts a bet he might live to regret: lead a cattle drive from Texas to New York City. Not one to back down on a dare, Ponting assembles the motliest crew of cowboys ever seen--Texans, Englishmen, Mexicans, Freemen, Cherokee--and charts a course through the unfriendliest country to move seven hundred head of cattle, never easy in the best of times. Along the way, they'll cross railroads and rustlers, hucksters and hustlers, with detours and dead ends aplenty. But if they succeed, the team will make more than just a whole lot of money. They will make history. . . .

Inspired by the real-life adventures of legendary cattleman Tom Candy Ponting, Longhorns East takes readers on an unforgettable journey as big and bold as the American Dream itself.

Review Quotes

Praise for Longhorns East

"Absorbing...adventure-filled...(Boggs) is an artist when it comes to writing about the American West. Just might be the best of his books." --The Denver Post

"An epic story spanning ...moves with a page-turning tempo as Ponting and his cowboys proceed to face perilous river crossings, thieves, rail disaster, and more on the trail to New York. A good amount of historical detail from the places Tom encounters along the way is fused deftly into the narrative. Another treat for fans of the Western novel from award-winning author Johnny D. Boggs." - Historical Novels Review

Praise for Johnny D. Boggs

"Johnny D. Boggs is one of today's major writers in the western genre...Filled with bandits, bad weather, prairie fires, Indian attacks, disgruntled drovers, and stampedes, [A Thousand Texas Longhorns] has everything a western aficionado would love. It's written by a masterful storyteller, and I cannot praise this book enough." - Historical Novels Review, EDITOR'S PICK for A Thousand Texas Longhorns

"Boggs' gift for memorable storytelling rises to its highest level in Return to Red River...bringing the reader to a dramatic, page-turning cattle drive, leading to an unforgettable ending. All this is set against Boggs' impeccable research of place and time." --True West on Return to Red River

"Moves with impeccable pacing and crisp realism, from its stark beginning to the fireball climax."
--Roundup Magazine on Return to Red River

"Johnny D. Boggs' strongest, purest Western to date. Boggs excels at describing the uniquely beautiful, if somewhat brutal, terrain of the Southwest. The Killing Shot is a Western in the classic sense, full of living, breathing characters and boasting a story that never sags." --Tucson Weekly

"Boggs' historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drive the story along full gallop." --True West on The Despoilers

"Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains. The Despoilers tears at one's heart, which is what really good fiction should do." --Roundup Magazine

"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this right-of-passage tale...Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power." --Booklist on The Lonesome Chisholm Trail

About the Author

Johnny D. Boggs is the highly acclaimed author of more than fifty Westerns, including Return to Red River, West Texas Kill, and the Western Heritage Wrangler Award-winning novel Spark on the Prairie. A twelve-time Spur Award-finalist and eight-time Spur Award-winner, he has received more awards than any other author in the history of the Western Writers of America, including Louis L'Amour. He is a member of the Western Writers Hall of Fame and the 2020 recipient of Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Contributions to Western Literature from the Western Writers of America. Booklist has called him "among the best Western writers at work today" and he has twice received the True West Magazine Best of the West Award. A native of South Carolina and former newspaper journalist, he lives with his family in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and can be found online at JohnnyDBoggs.com.