In 1984, Mangan Books published “Let the Tail Go with the Hide” by Teresa Williams Irvin, with an introduction by Tom Lea, acclaimed western artist and author of “The Wonderful Country” and “The Brave Bulls.”

“I’ve already started to read it, and am enjoying it immensely,” said Ronald Reagan in 1985. This biography of Ben F. Williams, a seminal figure in the history of the American West, was a leather-bound showpiece, with a real silver peso on the cover of each book, and sold out within a few years. Long after the original sold out, the author continued to receive requests from teachers, students, librarians and researchers, year after year, because the book holds enduring interest in the history of the American southwest. Unfortunately, copies of the first edition were hard to find (and very expensive, thanks to the peso on the cover!) until Unlimited Publishing LLC released a POD paperback edition in 2001 at an affordable price.

Benjamin Franklin Williams was born in a remote Sonoran village in 1901 and went on to become a noted land developer, prospector, mine operator, livestock broker, inventor, politician, and above all, a cattleman. "When people ask me about my background," he related, "I tell ‘em, hell, I was a cowpuncher." Williams was also one of the partners in the historic purchase of the Palomas Ranch of Chihuahua, Mexico; at 2,270,000 acres, the largest ranch in North America.

The history of the American Southwest is incomplete without the story of Ben F. Williams. Now everyone can enjoy this slice of Americana that has been called "a handsome book by any standard - and an important one."