In 1901, these two colorful public figures inherited the leadership of the English-speaking countries. Following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria, Edward ascended the throne. A lover of fine food, drink, beautiful women, and the pleasure-seeking culture of Paris, Edward had previously been regarded as a bon vivant. The public---even Queen Victoria herself---doubted Edward's ability to rule the British Empire. Yet Edward would surprise the world with his leadership and his canny understanding of the fragility of the British Empire at the apex of its global power.

Across the Atlantic, Vice President Roosevelt---the aristocrat from Manhattan who fashioned his own legend by going west to become a cowboy---succeeded to the presidency after President McKinley's assassination in 1901. Rising above criticism, Roosevelt became one of the nation's most beloved presidents.

The King and the Cowboy is an intimate study of two extraordinary statesmen who - in part because of their alliance at Algeciras - would become lauded international figures. Focusing in particular on Edward the Seventh's and Theodore Roosevelt's influence on 20th-century foreign affairs, Fromkin's character-driven history sheds new light on the early events that determined the course of the century.