Mooching Moose and Mumbling Men

Return to a simpler time in the West, when it is still uncertain which is the dominant species--Man or Moose. Ever meet an intoxicated moose? You will in this hilarious yarn about Nosy the Moose which takes place at the edge of the wilderness. It is the guffaw-packed story about what happens when Moose tangles with Man and how a half-civilized Alces americana demonstrates he is more than a match for homo sapiens. This high-spirited adventure is narrated by the master spinner of tales, Joe Back, a writer who is ever alert for those fine points of humor that begin with ripples of amusement and end up in waves of convulsive laughter. You'll never forget the ranchers, game wardens, school teachers, politicians, guides, and cowboys whose lives are thoroughly and completely disrupted by Nosy. Back also proves he is an incredible pen-and-ink artist who loves both man and beast and the hilarious, fantastic situations they get themselves into--all inadvertently, of course. In Mooching Moose and Mumbling Men, Back once again proves that he is a treasure of the American West.

Joe Back was born in Ohio in 1899 and moved to Wyoming when he was thirteen. He served as a machine gun instructor during World War I, then took up trade as a cowboy, guide, and packer. Later, he spent four years at the Art Institute of Chicago where, to use Joe’s words, he ＂damn near starved to death.＂ Art education changed his life, however, and although he went back to packing and guiding, he also became nationally known as a sculptor. Joe Back died September 7, 1986 at age 87--through the magic of his illustrations and writing, we celebrate and share his work.