For your consideration is the book "Smoky, The Cowhorse" written and illustrated by Will James. This book is copyright 1926, 1929 by Charles Scribner's Sons publisher. The book details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. Smoky is born in the wild, captured and trained and becomes known as the best cow horse around. However, Smoky is stolen by a horse thief, beaten repeatedly as punishment, and eventually attacks and kills the thief. This was James' first book that gained him fame, winning the 1927 Newbery award. William Roderick James was a Canadian-American artist and writer of the American West, writing numerous "cowboy" stories for adults and children. His artwork, which predominantly involved cowboy and rodeo scenes, followed "in the tradition of Charles Russell", and much of it was used to illustrate his books. In 1992, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The tan cloth bound stamped gold gilt illustrated hardcover is in good overall condition, full-size colour illustration on the front cover, gold gilt on spine, significant scuffing to bottom edges. Colour pictorial front and rear endpapers. Intact painted top edge pages exhibit age tanning. Measures 5.5"W x 8.125"L x .75"D, weight is 12oz.