Although as much romanticized as the American cowboy, the Argentine gaucho lived a persecuted, marginal existence, beleaguered by mandatory passports, vagrancy laws, and forced military service. The story of this nineteenth-century migratory ranch hand is told in vivid detail by Richard W. Slatta, a professor of history at North Carolina State University at Raleigh and the author of Cowboys of the Americas (1990).

"Fascinating. . . . [Slatta's book] makes a major contribution to our understanding of the impact of economic growth on rural Argentina while reminding us that development has a complex human dimension."—American Historical Review

"Slatta has sought to rescue [the gaucho] from his admirers and detractors, and to render him intelligible. The result is an original piece of research set firmly in the mainstream of Argentine history . . . [that] constantly retains the reader's interest."—Hispanic American Historical Review

"[It] is a joy to read and a pleasure to recall, one of the finest portraits of a segment of Latin American society that I have ever read."—Pacific Historian

"[A] successful revision of the traditional approaches to Argentine history. Nicely balancing social, economic, and political views, Slatta presents a detailed picture of the gaucho in Argentine history and literature."—The Americas