THE COWGIRL COMPANION: Big Skies, Buckaroos, Honky...

THE COWGIRL COMPANION: Big Skies, Buckaroos, Honky Tonks, Lonesome Blues and Other Glories of the True West by Gail Gilchriest (Hyperion: $10.95; 181 pp., paperback original). Gail Gilchriest credits Will Rogers with coining term the term cowgirl in this tongue-in-cheek salute to women who ride the range. Although she mentions such figures as Poker Alice, Leadville Lil, Bowlegged Mary and the Lassoer in Lingerie, Gilchriest is less interested in providing an historical account than in celebrating the vision of independence and devil-may-care outrageousness she sees embodied in these women. An assortment of campy old comic books, ads for Western attire and Hollywood stills add to the fun.