Cowboys & Indians

This review refers to "Cowboys and Indians"(magazine)

I purchased this"Cowboys and Indians" during my last grocery shopping trip when I was passing the magazine rack and there was John Wayne's face gracing the cover. This edition is a "Special Collector's Edition" with a centennial tribute to our guy. I couldn't resist. And I thought that I may even order a subscription because Cowboys and Indians hold a great interest for me. I love everything to do with them. The feature article on The Duke was great, and I enjoyed reading it very much, but there is not too much else about this publication that would make me want to put out the money to receive it on a regular basis.

The magazine is pretentious and geared toward those cowboys and gals who may be living in Beverly Hills. The pages are nearly cover to cover advertisements for high style and high priced goods ranging from land to furniture, artwork, jewelry and clothing. There were a few articles, poems and stories between all the schmaltz. In this issue I was interested in one about a French cowboy actor Jean "Joe" Hamman(1885 1974) dubbed the "French John Wayne".I also found some great western recipe and gardening tips.When I saw an article titled 'Hi-Ho Silver", I got excited thinking it would at least be something having to do with "The Lone Ranger", but of course it was pages and pages of high priced jewlery.For the most part, this high quality magazine didn't give me much on real cowboys. And there was almost nothing on the 'Indian" part of the title. Aside from some beautiful looking sculpture(and a small blurb), one that probably is worth more then my car(I'm not sure how much it cost because you had to call a number to find out), there wasn't much on them at all.

It's probably worth a view once or twice a year for those interested in upcoming events and art fairs, etc, as there are calendars with the various events. And even there, I didn't see any pow-wows listed. But I wouldn't recommend a subscription if you are looking for some substantial reads of "Cowboys and Indians"

Happy Trails.....Laurie

recommended reading:Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street

High Country News(see my review of 2/5/12 for details)

I recall the first issue that I ever saw of COWBOYS & INDIANS magazine. Tom Selleck graced the cover, touting a story about Selleck and his newest western, CROSSFIRE TRAIL. The story was marvelous. Shortly after buying this copy from a newsstand I subscribed.

As I examined each ensuing issue of C&I one fact became quite clear to me: C&I was all about playing cowboys and Indians. Other than a few well-placed stories about some of the West's most notable characters, each magazine was packed with silly ads for supposedly acceptable western wear, "Society" pages that featured the faces of mostly unknown individuals who were on hand for the latest obscure "Western Awards" or some off-the-beaten-track wine tasting. In fact, just today I took the current issue of C&I and tore out all the advertisements and other nonsense that, in my thinking, really hasn't any business showing up in a magazine about the real West. To my dismay I excised nearly seventy pages or almost half of the magazine!

Admittedly, most of the cover stories have been great. But every once in a while the editors seemingly can't resist throwing in characters like Jewel, Hilary Duff, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lance Armstrong, individuals who are, when it boils right down to it, about as truly Western as Caroline Kennedy! After all, it takes more than living in a western state (or even being the governor of one) to really be a westerner.

In the end it's all what I call the "Pseudo-West." As artificial as a wooden nickel.

I had hoped that, as the subtitle of the magazine asserts, COWBOYS & INDIANS was "The Premier Magazine of the West." Instead I was overwhelmed and disappointed at how the publishers and editors of this magazine have simply made the West a sort of cheap dodge. They seem to view it as more of a decorative theme or as a fashion style than as an actual lifestyle. The actual title of the magazine might well be "Let's-Play-Like-We're-Really-Western-Folks!"

Of course, there is likely a demographic that fits here, men and women who wouldn't recognize a real horse if it loped up and stepped on `em. But then, I'm talking about finding magazines that really reflect a Western lifestyle. If you agree with me you'd be much better served to pass on C&I and subscribe to WESTERN HORSEMAN.

THE HORSEMAN

Buy Cowboys & Indians Now

I understand this may not reflect a TRUE cowboy lifestyle and shows a more upscale style of living, BUT....

This magazine is gorgeous. The homes, fashions, art, and even the ads are so eye-catching, I can overlook what the other reviewers see as shortcomings. The ads are relevant to their readers and are items you want to investigate further. The articles are well written and accompanied by the best in magazine photography.

I enjoy every issue I've gotten hold of, so much so I plan to subscribe.

Read Best Reviews of Cowboys & Indians Here

My husband and I have been buying this magazine for years. I recently found that Amazon carries it and just started a subscription (at a fantastic price). Not only do we find the stories interesting and informative, but the photography is absolutely gorgeous. The first thing we do when we get a new issue is look at the pictures, then read the articles. I've also tried several recipes. As much as we'd like to see more issues than offered in a year, we wouldn't want the quality of this product jeopardized.

Want Cowboys & Indians Discount?

Cowboys and Indians is a modern American West magazine. That is, while there are historical articles and references here and there, the emphasis is on the here and now modern western-themed fashion, art, architecture, events and happenings, and so on.

This is a very high-quality magazine with superb production values. Lots of photos, superbly reproduced. Printed on heavy, glossy stock. Tons of content. Typically there is at least one celebrity article with western connections per issue (recent examples being Paul Newman, Willie Nelson, and Harrison Ford), one major architectural article, usually a large ranch or lodge, and an art article highlighting a western artist. Other content is always western-themed, but is all over the map, including events, entertainment, travelogues, jewelry, etc. All well-written and worth reading.

Cowboys and Indians also packs a LOT of advertising content. In this case, I view that as a positive, as 95% of it is for products and companies you won't see in mass market magazines. In other words, if western products interest you, this magazine is probably the best single source to find them. My wife and I make a practice of flipping through the ads at the kitchen table with coffee when a new issue comes in. It also holds the price down on what would otherwise be a very expensive magazine, given its content and quality.

As a whole, the magazine has a decided high-end tilt. You are not going to find inexpensive products, starter home articles, etc. in this magazine. Although that may sound somewhat elitist, the magazine does not come off that way.

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