On the Great Plains, a land barren of wood and rock for the traditional rail and stone fences, the wire fence was a logical invention. Hundreds of barded-wire designs were invented, and the more practical patents were manufactured and shipped west at great profit. Today collectors are carefully searching out that wire for both enjoyment and historical interest.

This book was designed to provide a well-organized identifying, classifying, and cataloguing system for the many designs and variations of barded wire. Nearly one thousand drawings and three indexes to patents, inventors, and manufacturers provide an immediate means of identification.