Description
Book SynopsisThis absorbing biography, written by Kleberg’s top assistant of many years, captures both the life of the man and the spirit of the kingdom he ruled, offering a rare, insider’s view of life on a fabled Texas ranch.
Trade ReviewJohn Cypher spent 40 years (1948-88) on the King Ranch, most of the time as assistant to the president [Bob Kleberg]. Few people could be better qualified to lend an air of intimacy to a story about a 15-million-acre spread and the man who led it for more than 50 years.
Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch combines a biography of Kleberg with the story of the postwar boom years that changed the King Ranch from a Mexican hacienda into a traditional South Texas cattle ranch and finally into an international corporate agribusiness. * Houston Chronicle *
Cypher writes ranch history and personal memories of ‘The Boss’ with affection and self-effacing loyalty. His easy conversational style makes life on a working ranch, the care and feeding of visiting celebrities and the field of international agribusiness both understandable and entertaining. If [Edna] Ferber were writing
Giant today, she wouldn’t need to visit the King Ranch. She could read Cypher’s book. * San Antonio Express-News *
Cypher not only writes well but he is a great story teller and gives the reader probably the best of what will ever be known of the inner Bob Kleberg. * East Texas Historical Journal *
Table of Contents
- Foreword
- One. The Beginning, Century II
- Two. Embellishing a Legacy
- Three. Let's Go to a Roundup
- Four. Simple Styles, Simple Habits
- Five. On Entering Another World
- Six. Going International: The First Step
- Seven. Inventing a Beef Factory—Venezuela
- Eight. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
- Nine. Brazil, a Multifaceted Adventure
- Ten. Argentine Problems, People Problems
- Eleven. Versailles via Flushing Meadows
- Twelve. Another World, Down Under
- Thirteen. From the New Cattle World to the Old
- Fourteen Decision Making, the Contorted Process
- Fifteen. The Trials of the Two Kings
- Sixteen. We Say Good-bye
- Afterword
- Index
