Regarded as a project in photographic history and an expression of the power of photographic art, this book was first published by Thames & Hudson in 1985.

The 120 full-page photographs in this book depict people at country fairs, rodeos, mining camps, drilling sites, and even a slaughterhouse - men and women of the American West who work at hard, everyday jobs. Richard Avedon introduces the volume with an essay on his working method and portrait philosophy, and Laura Wilson, who accompanied Avedon and his team, provides a journal of their travels, between 1979 and 1984.

"A master of American fashion and art photography turns his artistry to capturing--in a series of photograph portraits--the cowboys, roustabouts, drifters, gamblers, bar girls, and others who characterize the modern Western experience."--

This book has never been opened. The plastic wrap is taken off though.