110 photographs and illustrations in text. YA?With all of the stereotypical portrayals of cowboys, gun fights, and bawdy houses, it is gratifying indeed to learn that ordinary hardworking people in the West entertained themselves in many interesting and creative ways. Dary uses diaries, recollections, period newspapers and wonderful photographs and engravings to characterize American culture from 1800 to the early 20th century. With the advent of the transcontinental railroad, telegraph, and mail, towns and cities sprang up. Civilized institutions such as churches and schools grew, bringing people who disapproved of gambling, prostitution, drinking, and other "pleasures" in the early days. YAs will find this book fascinating reading as well as a resource for the study of social history during this period.?Carol P. Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Dary (journalism, Univ. of Oklahoma) is the author of a number of popular Western histories, notably Cowboy Culture (Avon, 1981). Here, he examines a unique aspect of Western social history. Pleasure seeking includes both legitimate and illegitimate pastimes ranging from chautauquas to bawdy sport. Dary develops the notion that entertainment changed as the Western settlement moved from immigrant campfires to the sophisticated Windsor Hotel in Denver. Interestingly, as the West developed, a popular pastime became tours for those seeking the Wild West legend. At the same time residents sought activities to reflect their good taste and refinement. Dary makes extensive use of primary sources to capture the essence of Western pleasure seeking. Although this work is not terribly analytical, it is a fascinating account of a heretofore unexplored aspect of the American West. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Daniel D. Liestman, Seattle Pacific Univ. Lib., Kent, Wash. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. What did people do for entertainment before television and video games? This delightful volume answers that question by relating the many ways people in the American West sought pleasure in the nineteenth century. It describes both the how and why of those diversions that Americans spent their nonworking hours pursuing, often amid adversity and hardship. Those activities ranged from the simple and homespun to the bawdy and elaborate, including gambling, picnics, church socials, officers' cotillions, horse and foot races, and many all-but-forgotten endeavors. Whenever possible, journals, diaries, newspapers, and first-person recollections are employed to capture the flavor of activities in the participants' own words. The result is a good overview of and social commentary on frontier life up until the time radio delivered entertainment to individual homes. Fred Egloff Leisure readers of American history and culture will appreciate this fine focus on daily life in the old West, gathering tall tales, adventures, and lively accounts from source material such as journals, letters, newspaper accounts and other writings of the times. Period drawings and photos contribute timely embellishment to Dary's lively and exceptional coverage. -- Midwest Book Review phs and illustrations in text. David Dary is currently head of the School of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma.