<div>Today, as for 4,000 years, we use branding to mark private property. These clever and artistic "iron signatures" appear here as detailed drawings, with fascinating stories of how they were designed and why; the ranches and historic cattle drives with which they were associated; and how rustlers attempted to alter their appearance. The saga concludes with a look at how brands carry on an ageless tradition in the computer era. Illustrated with historic and contemporary cattle-branding photographs with an encyclopedia.<br></div>