Old Rags and Iron is a collection of narrative poems about the life experiences of working-class people with whom the author, R. F. McEwen, is not only acquainted but whose lives he has shared. McEwen supplemented his income as a teacher while working as a professional logger and tree trimmer, and he writes with great love and respect for blue-collar families. Set primarily in the back-of-the-yard neighborhood of South Side Chicago, where McEwen grew up, as well as Pine Ridge, South Dakota, western Nebraska, Ireland, and elsewhere, the poems celebrate many voices and stories. Utilizing tree-trimming as a central metaphor, these poems of blank verse fictions reverberate like truth.

What does it mean to have Strength, Courage, Discipline, and Honor? Follow Young Spartacus, a story about a young boy who learns from his father the virtues needed to become a WARRIOR!

McEwen discusses his law enforcement career with Dartmouth College from 1967 to 2003. He offers insights into the evolution of a small-town campus police department made up of five men into a sophisticated, unionized group of more than thirty-five professionals. He also addresses such issues as the role of alcohol in student misconduct, the department's evolving relationship with the Hanover police and the various protests that have taken place at the college over the years.