Synopses & Reviews
Story after wonderful story, tall tale after tall tale. Ray Lum tells a southern writer where he came from, and where he ought to go. -Shelby Foote
Bill Ferris makes me wish I'd known Ray Lum.
-Larry Brown
Indeed, the mule trader has undoubtedly helped to form our great oral tradition in the South . Ray Lum [was] a man born and bred to the practice of the country monologue.
-Eudora Welty
Readers captivated by this book will be happy that Bill Ferris found Ray Lum and that he thought to turn on a tape recorder. Lum (1891--1977) was a mule skinner, a livestock trader, an auctioneer, and an American original.
This delightful book, first published in 1992 as You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All, preserves Lum's colorful folk dialect and captures the essence of this one-of-a-kind figure who seems to have stepped full-blooded from the pages of Mark Twain. This riveting talespinner was tall, heavy-set, and full of body rhythm as he talked. In his special world he was famous for trading, for tale-telling, and for common-sense lessons that had made him a savvy bargainer and a shrewd businessman. His home and his auction barn were in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where mules were his main interest, but in trading he fanned out over twenty states and even into Mexico. A west Texas newspaper reported his fame this way: He is known all over cow country for his honest fair dealing and gentlemanly attitude..... A letter addressed to him anywhere in Texas probably would be delivered.
Over several years Ferris recorded Lum's many long conversations that detail livestock auctioneering, cheery memories of rustic Deep South culture, and a philosophy of life that is grounded in good horse sense. Even among the most spellbinding talkers Lum is a standout both for what he has to say and for the way he says it. Ferris's lucky, protracted encounters with him turn out to be the best of good fortune for everybody.
William R. Ferris is the former director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Among his many awards are the NEH's Charles Frankel Prize and in 1991 Rolling Stone's citation of him as one of the top ten teachers in the United States.
Review
"Bill Ferris makes me wish I'd known Ray Lum."
--Larry Brown
Review
"Story after wonderful story, tall tale after tall tale, Ray Lum tells a southern writer where he came from and where he ought to go."
--Shelby Foote
Review
"Indeed, the mule trader has undoubtedly helped to form our great oral tradition in the South. Ray Lum [was] a man born and bred to the practice of the country monologue."
--Eudora Welty
Synopsis
Readers captivated by this book will be happy that Bill Ferris found Ray Lum and that he thought to turn on a tape recorder. Lum (1891-1977) was a mule skinner, a livestock trader, an auctioneer, and an American original.
This delightful book, first published in 1992 as You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All, preserves Lum's colorful folk dialect and captures the essence of this one-of-a-kind figure who seems to have stepped full-blooded from the pages of Mark Twain. This riveting tale-spinner was tall, heavy-set, and full of body rhythm as he talked. In his special world, he was famous for trading, for tale-telling, and for common-sense lessons that had made him a savvy bargainer and a shrewd businessman. His home and his auction barn were in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where mules were his main interest, but in trading he fanned out over twenty states and even into Mexico. A west Texas newspaper reported his fame this way, "He is known all over cow country for his honest, fair dealing and gentlemanly attitude. . . .A letter addressed to him anywhere in Texas probably would be delivered."
Over several years, Ferris recorded Lum's many long conversations that detail livestock auctioneering, cheery memories of rustic Deep South culture, and a philosophy of life that is grounded in good horse sense. Even among the most spellbinding talkers, Lum is a standout both for what he has to say and for the way he says it. Ferris's lucky, protracted encounters with him turn out to be the best of good fortune for everybody.
Synopsis
Mule Trader: Ray Lum's Tales of Horses, Mules and Men by William R. Ferris Foreword by Eudora Welty Ray Lum (1891-1977) was an American original, a one-of-a-kind figure who seems to have stepped full-blooded from the pages of Mark Twain. In this fascinating book he speaks his mind in a colorful folk dialect and tells of the special world in which he presides. He is a riveting talker whose common-sense lessons made him a savvy bargainer and a shrewd businessman. Mules were his main interest. His home and his auction barn were in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but in trading he fanned out over twenty states and even into Mexico. A West Texas newspaper reported his fame this way: He is known all over cow country for his honest fair dealing and gentlemanly attitude. . . . A letter addressed to him anywhere in Texas probably would be delivered. Over several years William Ferris tape recorded many long conversations with Lum. In them Lum gives the ins and outs of livestock auctioneering, cheery memories of rustic Deep South culture, and a philosophy of life that is grounded in good horse sense. Even among the most spellbinding talkers Lum is a standout both for what he has to say and for the way he says it. Preserved in this book, Ferris's lucky, protracted encounters with him are the best of good fortune for everybody. William R. Ferris is the former director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. He is currently the senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among his many awards are the Charles Frankel Prize of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Eudora Welty, (1909-2001), was one of the twentieth-century's most critically- acclaimed authors. Her literary canon encompasses works of fiction and nonfiction, including essays, book reviews, and a best-selling memoir. She is regarded as a master of the short story.
Synopsis
A mule trader's tales from a culture enriched by his fascinating presence
About the Author
William R. Ferris is the former director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Among his many awards are the NEH's Charles Frankel Prize and in 1991 Rolling Stone's citation of him as one of the top ten teachers in the United States.