Tall tales and true characters from the Texas drylands

Hotter ’n Pecos (paper)

And Other West Texas Lies

Bobby D. Weaver, with foreword by Barry Corbin and illustrations by Boots Reynolds

“The great Bobby Weaver must have spent a lot of time perched on top of telephone poles just watchin’ the traffic of life’s highway go by. I don't know how else he could have made up such good stuff!” —Baxter Black

“Saddle up! You’re in for a good ride.” —Barry Corbin, from the foreword

“Bobby Weaver is a great storyteller, and Hotter ’n Pecos is brimming with some of the best tales I've heard in years.’ —Don Edwards

“Having grown up in West Texas in ranching and oilfield country, I know nearly all the people Bobby Weaver writes about. They just have different names and different parents up in the Panhandle. They are, however, the most generous, thoughtful, and honest people on this planet. Thanks, Bobby, for the stories and for letting me relive memories of my youth.” —Red Steagall

These collected tales—some taller than others—offer revealing glimpses into how and why West Texans are different. Rugged enough to make the harshest of environments their own, this species thrives in hundred-degree-plus heat and near-zero humidity. Folks like the crop duster who nearly sets his plane down in the bed of a pickup, the “boll weevil” whose naiveté is tested in the oil patch, and Frank the “Goofy Roofer,” who enters a bullfight with nothing more than a denim jacket and a bottle of beer, are far from rare.

All these yarns contain a grain of truth, and some of them actually happened just as related. Most of them have a humorous bent; some are reasonably serious; a few are totally outrageous. But all of them illustrate the character of this distinctive region of the Lone Star State. Whether they concern ranchers, farmers, or oilfield hands; weather, work, or play, all reflect the essential nature of West Texans.

Weaver’s lively anecdotes prove several truths about Texas west of the hundredth meridian: you may learn how not to haul hogs, ride in rodeos, conduct bullfights, or drill oil wells—and you may well meet petroleum promoters, coon hunters, chuck-wagon cooks, cotton farmers, and even college professors—but you won’t encounter an uninteresting character where things get hotter than Pecos.

Bobby D. Weaver, whose career has ranged from the oilfields of Texas to the halls of academe, holds degrees from Texas Tech University and Texas A&I University. A former curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and assistant director of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, he is the author of histories of several West Texas institutions and Oil Field Trash: Life and Labor in the Texas Oilfields, 1901–1960, forthcoming in fall 2010.Lamesa, Texas, native Barry Corbin has starred or appeared in sixteen television productions and two dozen motion pictures—many of them Westerns—since studying theatre arts at Texas Tech University. He resides on a ranch near Fort Worth, Texas.Painter and cowboy cartoonist Roy “Boots” Reynolds draws his inspiration from real-life experiences as a rodeo clown, roper, horse trainer and bronc rider. An illustrator of books, magazines, and scores of Leanin’ Tree greeting cards, he resides in Hope, Idaho.

Additional resources for this title include downloadable hi-res images and supplemental resources, where available:
Cover image
Author headshot
Author headshot
Press Release
Promotional flyer
Event poster
FREE teaching supplement
Author's website