Prime Cut: Livestock Raising and Meatpacking in the United States, 1607-1983
Author: Jimmy M. Skaggs
List Price: $29.95
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ISBN: 0890962499
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press (July, 1986)
Sales Rank: 1,308,172
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
The history of the meat industry in America.
Skaggs's book is an excellent synthesis of the history of American meat production from earliest times to the present. Skaggs covers the early days, the rise of the trailing industry, the growth of big packing towns like Chicago and Kansas City, scandals like "embalmed beef" in the war with Spain and the "beef trust", and all the twists and turns that have led to the way things are produced today. Full of interesting facts and details, this book also tells the story of the lifecycle of an important American industry that still looms large in our imaginations. As Skaggs shows, however, imagination tends to run away from reality. For all you romantics out there, just remember that even at the height of the cattle trail days, most cattle were raised by farmers. (I bet you won't be seeing that coming out of Hollywood anytime soon.) I highly recommend reading this book in conjunction with Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".
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