Not very good eating.

"To keep rawhide strands from becoming entangled while making a reata, each strand is carefully "bundled" into what braiders call "tamales".

As the braider starts building the reata, these bundles can be crossed in the braiding process while individual strands are released ..."

This is an extract from a new book on legendary western artisan Luis Ortega, soon to be published as part of the Western Legacy Series in cooperation with the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Levitated Apples was fortunate enough to read a draft of the manuscript, written by Chuck Stormes and Don Reeves, and found something quite extraordinary: the biography of a craftsman that reads like a western movie.

It's a record of the very beginnings of California, recounting the life of a cowboy who became an astonishingly skilled artist in rawhide.

From his youth spent on horseback to his last years as a teacher of forgotten skills, Luis Ortega was a history unto himself.

He watched the glory days of Hispanic California recede with the development of the new west.

He went from the wide-open life of a vaquero to the honoured position of a premier western artist, his marvellous braiding gaining him a place of honour alongside such great names as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.

The National Endowment for the Arts in Washington recognized him with the tile of Master Traditional Artist - and he commanded a national reputation as America's finest braider for fifty years.

Anyone who is interested in the history of the west from the saddle up will find this a book to enjoy and cherish.

Its working title is "Luis Ortega's Rawhide Artistry : Braiding in the California Tradition" and you can find out more or pre-order from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. (There's a link to the Museum in the right-hand column.)