The Log of a Cowboy was written in response to the unrealistic western adventures being written in the early 20th century. Adams wrote extensively about cowmen and the cattle business. His stories have an authenticity of detail and style that sets them apart. Having spent 12 years in the saddle, Adams is able to give a compelling first-hand account about cowboy life and a cattle drive he made from Texas to the Blackfeet Agency in his early 20s. His "log" is a classic and authentic description of trail men and their work, cow horses and range cattle. The Log of a Cowboy is an account of a five-month drive of 3,000 cattle from Brownsville, Texas, to Montana in 1882 along the Great Western Cattle Trail. Although the book is fiction, it is firmly based on Adams's own experiences on the trail, and it is considered by many to be the best account of cowboy life in literature.