The year is 1871, and wealthy ranch owner Jane Withersteen is in trouble. She has incurred the displeasure of her Mormon church leaders by refusing to marry a church elder and by befriending Gentiles (non-Mormons). In rides Lassiter, the quintessential Western hero: mysterious, purposeful, a deadly gunslinger, but with an unexpected streak of gentleness. While Lassiter is assisting Jane at the ranch, her friend and rider Bern Venters is having an adventure of his own in the Utah canyonlands. Riders of the Purple Sage is a story of heroism, love, brave men and strong women, good dogs and fast horses. And who is that Masked Rider?
In Spanish California, a troubling pattern had developed. The natives were reduced to peasants, the Franciscan friars that ministered to them were derided, and the only people who mattered were the caballeros – who styled themselves as knights of the New World. These men strutted about in elegant clothes, riding magnificent horses, and sporting rapiers at their sides that they were quick to draw if they felt their honor was affronted.
Into this world burst Zorro (Spanish for “fox”). A later-day Robin Hood, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but he also took it upon himself to punish men who had notably abused others. Cloaked and masked, appearing suddenly from the dark, he always stayed ahead of the manhunt launched at his heels.
The authorities called him a highwayman.
And when the doings of a corrupt governor began to affect the good people around the pueblo of early Los Angeles, Zorro responded – vigorously. Summary by Mark Smith
This is another collection of O. Henry short stories.
Buck Duane, son of a famous gunfighter, falls prey to the old problem - called out by a cowboy who wants to make trouble, Duane kills him and then must ride off to the lawless country near the Neuces River to escape being arrested and perhaps, hanged. His brief encounter with deadly gunplay has ignited a deep urging to repeat the adrenaline rush but is tempered by ghosts that haunt his sleep. He only dares to release his inner demon when he is taking down an outlaw who is particularly known for his brutality.
He develops a reputation for killing the most notorious Texas outlaws, which draws an unexpected interest: a captain of the Texas Rangers offers him a pardon and a ranger's badge if he will infiltrate the gang of the shadowy figure known as "Cheseldine" who wields vast power in West Texas, and make it possible for the Rangers to break the gang's hold on the region's towns. Duane accepts, never guessing in his wildest nightmares that he would sniff out this Cheseldine, his hideouts, his lieutenants... and fall in love with his daughter!
This book has all the elements of a classic Western, including rustling and gunfights, but at its heart is the battle between good and evil, between duty and love, between selfishness and self-sacrifice. The ‘mysterious rider’ of the title arrives at White Slides ranch, and his coming will have major consequences for many of those living there, not least for Columbine who is promised to a man she cannot love. (Mary Bard)
The Seventh Man by Max Brand, tells part of the story of the larger-than-life western character, Dan Barry, known as “Whistling Dan,” and his alter-ego companions, Black Bart, the wolf-dog, and Satan, the indomitable black stallion. It’s also the story of Kate Cumberland and the incredible five-year-old daughter of Kate and Dan, Joan. We first see Dan as a gentle, caring man with a deep sense of fairness. But then, after six years of a peaceful life in their mountain cabin Dan, more feral than human, sets out to revenge an injustice by killing seven men. Ultimately, it is his devotion to his daughter and Kate’s love for the child that brings about the climax of the tale.
Warning: don’t look for a typical cowboy story here – it’s far deeper and stronger than that.
This is the fifth published book of Owen Wister, author of the archetypical Western novel, The Virginian. Published in 1900, it comprises eight Western short stories.
This is a sequel to Texan Star and continues the adventures of young Ned Fulton as he finds himself a part of the struggle for Texans to defend against the Mexican army and reach independence. In his travels across the state he meets historical figures involved in the struggles on both sides. It has the hallmarks of a good Western novel set in an historical background. The trilogy is finished with The Texan Triumph.
Padre Ignacio has been the pastor of California mission Santa Ysabel del Mar for twenty years. In 1855 a stranger rides into the mission bringing news and a spiritual crisis. It's really more of a novella than a novel.
Ben Connor is a gambler who knows horses. He goes out west to get away from the gambling life he has been leading in New York. There he discovers a breed of grey horses that he thinks are the best horses he has ever seen. The problem is that these horses are bred in a secret valley known as the Garden of Eden and that outsiders are not welcome there. Connor sees these horses as a means of getting rich on the race tracks, but how to get one is a problem.A great horse story coupled with the typical excitement one expects from Max Brand makes this a great book.
Cattleman J.G. Whittemore, owner of the Flying U ranch in Montana, trusts the task of meeting his sister at the train to only one man, Chip. Chip’s not too keen on women. In his experience they come in only a few types: prissy “sweet young thing”, annoying cowgirl, or old maid that wants to drag him to church. He isn’t prepared for Miss Della Whittemore, the “Little Doctor.” She turns the ranch upside down, but can she turn Chip head over heels?
Ford Campbell is a hard-working, honest, decent cowboy—when he’s sober. But give him a bottle of whiskey and all bets are off. Usually it just makes him rowdy, but this time…well, this time he thinks there might just have been a wedding. Was he the groom? Who was the bride? And where is she? ( Tom Penn)
The Yukon Trail: A Tale of the North (filmed as The Grip of the Yukon in 1928) is an adventure yarn from the prodigious output of William MacLeod Raine, who averaged nearly two western novels a year for some 46 years. Twenty of his novels have been filmed. Though Raine was prolific, he was a slow, careful, conscientious worker, intent on accurate detail, and considered himself a craftsman rather than an artist. (Adapted from Wikipedia)
Dave ran a lumber mill in western Canada. There are some workers within his organization who he trusts implicitly, some who he doesn't trust at all, and some who he is unsure about. But Dave is basically a trusting soul. Most of the folks in Malkern liked him, as he had been a major factor in shaping the village and in providing employment for a lot of the folks who lived in the area. Dave was not a pleasant site to look at; ungainly, not very attractive, yet he had a heart that was the antithesis of his lack of physical attractiveness.
Dave was a good friend to Betty, who had promised her hand in marriage to Jim Truscott, who was on leave from Malkern searching for gold in the Yukon territory to secure a future for himself and his bride-to-be. Truscott had asked Dave to watch over Betty during his absence, but when he returned from his fortune seeking expedition in the Yukon, Truscott was a changed man. He didn't seem the same personable Jim Truscott that Betty had promised herself to, and Dave was a bit suspicious of his personality alterations as well. Now, Betty had to decide whether to hold herself to her promise, and Dave had to determine whether or not he should also keep himself to the promise he had made to his friend.
There is plenty of action, suspense, and personal introspection combined with a love story in The Trail of the Axe, and many a surprise awaits every turn.
A genuine cowboy who speaks a bit of Greek? Ditto a bit of The Litany? And more than a little verse, including (would you believe?) Alice In Wonderland. What kind of young man do we have here? And a young woman who matches him without effort? And a definitely literate narrator with his tongue firmly inserted in cheek. There’s a bank robbery and an attempted murder. A desperate ride across the desert and a warm welcome by good Mexican friends. It’s all a great deal of fun. Eugene Manlove Rhodes (1869 – 1934) was an American writer, nicknamed the "cowboy chronicler". He lived in south central New Mexico when the first cattle ranching and cowboys arrived in the area; when he moved to New York with his wife in 1899, he wrote stories of the American West that set the image of cowboy life in that era. Originally Published under the title of Bransford In Arcadia Or The Little Eohippus (1913). Note: eohippus, which plays a part all through the story, is the small prehistoric five-toed ancestor of the modern-day horse.
This is an action-packed tale of the old west with richly drawn characters including the notorious Butch Cassidy, most of them upstanding but some decidedly not. A cashier is murdered during a bank robbery. The loot and the thieves are sought with dark concerns about who may be guilty. Family ties, ranch life, humor, and romance are interwoven throughout. B. M. Bower was one of the first women to write novels and short stories about the American Old West, of which more than 10 were adapted as films.
Arizona Nights is a collection of tales from the American West as told by those who took part in them.
A girl from the East finds herself confronted with a strange type of man with an ancient grudge. Dakota, the man, first convinces her that he is a brute beyond redemption and then gradually wins her back. Before this happens there has been an attempted bribe, an attempted murder that seems the response to the bribe and a wild ride through the night, that ends at Dakota's cabin.
As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest.
When an agriculture professor wanders into a wicked Kansas cowtown in order to experiment raising wheat, both the professor and the town get more than they bargain for. A wild and woolly Western.
Yee-Haww! The Pony Rider Boys are on the move again! This time the boys are in the desert of Nevada, discovering the beauty and perils in 100 degree heat. It should be another thrilling ride that Professor Zepplin has taken them on!
The aptly titled "Tangled Trails, A Western Detective Story" takes the listener through a web of curious incidents revolving around the murder of a prominent man in Denver. Kirby Lane was quite obviously the guilty party in the murder of his uncle. Lane, among others, had had a falling out with his uncle, the victim James Cunningham. But there were some who believed his nephew to be innocent of the hideous crime. Lane feared the guilty party to be a female bronco rider whom he had befriended, as her presence at the scene of the crime was quite evident, albeit only to him. There were others also who appeared to be implicated in the murder for various reasons, thus leading to a veritable tangling of clues and suspects. Was there a detective capable enough to untangle this web? ( Roger Melin)
Rod Norton is a lawman in a land where bandits and criminals make their own rules. Risking his life for justice and a future with the woman he loves, mortal danger awaits. For Norton and those in peril, the Bells of San Juan will chime.
Dave Sanders, a young Arizona cowboy, is a classic western hero: honest, brave, intelligent and caring. This is a story of how he navigates the snake-infested territory of the Old West, dealing with all manner of scalawag and scoundrel and fending for his friends, his horse, his life and freedom, as he is wrongly accused of murder.
Tesno was a troubleshooter. That's why the railroad construction company had hired him. His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain. Tesno knew one thing for sure--if they had called him in, there must have been plenty interference--and the kind that didn't stop at murder. Frontier towns and frontier wilderness didn't pay much attention to city-made laws. Tesno carried his own law with him and he knew he'd have to make it respected. It was the law of the six-gun and the firm high hand. Take no guff, keep your powder dry, and don't give an inch. One moment of uncertainty, and it would mean his end!
A hotel is robbed one night, and a cowboy makes his getaway with but few witnesses. When a young woman is also robbed, suspicion falls on one particular man who matches the description of the former thief. The robber is without a doubt a tall man; six feet four inches tall. Buck Thornton, at six feet four, in the area, and acting a bit peculiarly, becomes the suspect and sets about to uncover the true culprit. However, what he discovers during his detective work shocks him. Surely it couldn't be? He sets out to capture the thief and clear his name and just maybe prove to the girl who had been robbed that he was innocent of the crime.
In this dime novel set on the American frontier, we meet a beautiful young girl, Sadie, who is fending off advances from the rough woodsman, known as Black Will. Luckily, Cooney Joe comes to her rescue while her father is out hunting. Life is hard on the frontier, and there is constant danger from Black Hawk and his warriors, but Sadie and her father try to live in peace with everyone.
"Deadwood Dick", the straight shooting, hard riding hero of the dime novel series "Deadwood Dick" takes on train robbers and other villains in this rip-snotrin', tale of the old west. Deadwood Dick has made his way through many dangerous escapades before his, but has he met his match this time? Why is there a horseshoe brand burned into this chest? Will he save the heroine? Listen to this dashing story as our hero puts himself in danger to protect the innocent and right wrongs in each exciting chapter.
Ward was laid up after a mysterious accident when Woodford, a rival cattleman, demanded 600 head be delivered within 3 days under a contract that the two had entered into. The price had since dropped and Woodford was counting on Ward's inability to deliver to escape a loss on the contract. Woodford had chosen his time well. The cattle were far to the south across the Valley River and Ward had no choice but to send his brother, Quiller, to fetch the stock. A lot could happen on such a long trip as Quiller leaves childhood behind and learns lessons he will never forget about the world of men.
Melville Davisson Post was a West Virginian and he set much of his work in the mountains and valleys of that state. His love of nature and horses, and his keen observations of people, show through in his over 200 novels and short stories.
In this short novel the narrator is a superintendent on the K. and A. railroad, sometime in the late nineteenth century. The train is robbed somewhere in the Arizona desert. Various adventures involve this young superintendent. Romance is provided by a comely passenger.
Rustlers are stealing Two Diamond cattle, and the manager is fit to be tied. The range boss claims it’s the neighbor, but there’s no proof. Everyone finds the neighbor’s sister desirable, but she finds everyone tedious (at best). Will lies, jealousy, double dealing, and maybe even a cold-blooded killing keep Ned Ferguson from uncovering the truth? (Tom Penn)
This is an American Western without any bad guys. The main characters are trains, and the elements---snow, terrain, weather and water. Frank Spearman wrote six novels about the building, and early days, of the transcontinental railroad. This was his first. He introduces characters who will reappear in several of his later novels. Those novels all have villains. The daughter of the new owner of the railroad travels by rail with her father to see the new line and the West it covers. They encounter several dozen rough and capable employees, who constructed and run the line. They are thoroughly dedicated men; the railroad is all they know. A supervisor, Ab Glover, falls desperately in love with Gertrude Brock--the daughter of the Magnate. The story is about that love, but even more, it is about the great challenges of weather, terrain and accidents. The numerous terms Spearman uses to describe the railroad and the natural environment had this reader referring often to the dictionary. This reader feels that Spearman's novels are superior to those of the other several writers of American Westerns of the early 1900's.
Edward Sylvester Ellis was a major American author during the era of inexpensive fiction of the nineteenth century (dime novels). Because he wrote under dozens of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name, it is virtually impossible to know exactly how many books he wrote, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. He specialized in boys' stories, inspirational biography, and history for both children and adults. (From FictionDB.com)This is a western, set in the Pecos River valley in the late 19th century, post Civil War era. This is the sequel to "In the Pecos Country", and the second half of the same story, begun in that book.
Phil Thurston was born on the range where the trails are dim and silent under the big sky. It was the place his father loved, the place he had to be. After the death of his father when he was five, his mother brought him back to the city, where he grew up and became a writer. To revive his stale writing, he returns to the West, and may just find what he is really missing.
An exciting tale of gun play, brave deeds and romance as Jerry Lambert, the "Duke" tries to protect the ranch of the lovely and charming Vesta Philbrook from thieving neighbors and other evil doers.
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. Adams was disgusted by the unrealistic cowboy fiction being published in his day; The Log of a Cowboy was his response. It is still in print, and even modern reviewers consider it a compelling classic. The Chicago Herald said: "As a narrative of cowboy life, Andy Adams' book is clearly the real thing. It carries its own certificate of authentic first-hand experience on every page."
A typical early 20th century western. It's a tale of a tough guy who gets involved with an evil man with an angel daughter for whom the tough guy falls. His efforts to recover hers and her father's gold mine claims is the story. Not a lot of shoot em up but enough story to make one want to finish the book to see how things work out.
Fleeing from an aggressive suitor, Hazel Radcliffe becomes hopelessly lost in the Arizona desert. Exhausted, she falls unconscious from her pony. Soon she is found by John Brownleigh, a handsome missionary who lives nearby. As he cares for her, a strong and true love grows between them. She was raised in luxury, he was raised to serve God. They part knowing very little about each other except for the love they feel. Back home among her family and friends, Hazel makes an important decision. She will do all she can to change, but can she do so before it's too late? Follow her journey of coming closer to the Lord and finding true love in an unlikely place.
Whistlin' Dan Berry is one of the most interesting characters in Western fiction. With uncanny abilities he controls a wild stallion, appropriately named Satan, and a ferocious wolf dog, Black Bart. Easy going, Berry proves absolutely unforgiving when physically assaulted by a feared, vicious outlaw, Jim Silent. Seemingly without any emotions, Whistlin' Dan is relentless in his vengeful search for Silent and his outlaw gang. The is the first book in the "Whistlin Dan" series.
Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear as Mike Vendetti narrates this early Zane Grey novel of hardy pioneers taming the wild west. Yes, despite the difficult times, romance flourishes and the bad guys are eliminated almost single handedly as our heroes Jonathan Zane and his sidekick Lew “Deathwind” Wetzel fight their way through mud, blood, gore, savage Indians, and despicable outlaws, to make the land safe for pioneer families as they settle the wild west
The story of a cold hearted man named Jack Kells who falls in love with Miss Joan Randle, a girl his legion has taken captive near the Idaho border.
He made one mistake in the beginning. He pushed the chestnut too hard the first and second days, so that on the third day he was forced to give the gelding his head and go at a jarring trot most of the day. On the fourth and fifth days, however, he had the reward for his caution. The chestnut's ribs were beginning to show painfully, but he kept doggedly at his work with no sign of faltering. The sixth day brought Andrew Lanning in close view of the lower hills. And on the seventh day he put his fortune boldly to the touch and jogged into the first little town before him..
Fans of the old radio shows and the TV series The Lone Ranger will recognize the characters in this book - the Lone Ranger, his faithful Indian sidekick Tonto and his trusty horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger Rides, a wonderful western story in itself, also details the origins of why a Texas Ranger would stirke out on his own, wearing a mask at all times, and how he met his companions Tonto and his ever dependable equine friend Silver.
A classic style western written by one of the first female western writers. Caroline Lockhart was a rancher, writer and possibly the first woman to go over Glacier National Parks Swiftcurrent Pass.
Val had come to Montana to marry a cowboy named Manley, envisioning a life of wedded bliss, freedom, and was anticipating happiness in her adopted part of the country. She would soon learn that the winters could be cruel and lonesome for a woman living on a ranch which was situated miles from the nearest neighbor. She would learn that her husband spent most of his time drinking. And she would learn that everybody has their own methods of dealing with the harshness and loneliness of the land she has come to call home. Val is determined to re-invent her notions about men and women, her new duties in life, and life as it existed in the relatively new West. At every turn, her will and her strength are tested. Would she find the strength within herself to overcome the hardships, or would she succumb to the reality of her surroundings?
Britt Hunter is a small fish in a big pond. His little ranch, the Quirt, has a few hundred head of cattle; the neighboring ranch, the Sawtooth, has tens of thousands. Britt and the other small timers manage to scrape by, but only at the sufferance of the Sawtooth. And the Sawtooth is always interested in expanding. When Britt’s city-bred daughter comes for a visit and witnesses a murder, she inadvertently puts the Quirt and the Sawtooth on a collision course. ( Tom Penn)
“Max Brand", the most used pseudonym of Frederick Schiller Faust (1892-1944), is best known today for his western fiction. Faust began in the early twentieth century selling his stories to the pulp magazines, writing in many genres under numerous pseudonyms. He is probably best known as the creator of the character Destry. His novel Destry Rides Again has been filmed several times, most notably the 1939 version starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. Also his character Dr. Kildare which was popularized in film and on television earned him a fortune.
Faust’s novel The Untamed, the first of three novels featuring the classic western hero Dan Barry was filmed in 1920, starring Tom Mix. Faust became a front line war correspondent and died of wounds received while traveling with American soldiers in Italy, May 12, 1944.
Trailin’ (1919) tells the story of Anthony Bard, a young aristocract from the east with a hunger for adventure, who sees his father murdered in the yard of their home. This starts young Anthony on a trail of vengeance that leads him to the far west. Here, Anthony, a tenderfoot with a knack for survival must track down a legendary outlaw who waits for him, not with a gun, but with a story. Along the way he braves the elements, resists a band of cold-blooded killers and finds love. A classic western revenge plot…..with a twist.
Cattle Brands is a collection of 14 entertaining short stories depicting not only the life of cowboys in the wild, wild West, but also the harrowing skirmishes with banditos, thrilling shoot-outs, attempt at and the recapture of stolen chattel from fierce desperados, and much, much more exciting accounts that make one think it all actually happened.
Ellis Carleton, son of a rich and indulgent father, has enjoyed a wasteful and irresponsible young adulthood. But on reaching 25 it is time to grow up, so dad sends him off to dad’s ranch in outback Montana with instructions to the foreman to pay Ellis the same as the other hands, but only if he earns it. A disputed roadway, an old feud with a neighboring rancher, a new one with his desirable daughter, all drive Ellis to delightful distraction. (Tom Penn)
The son of a notorious outlaw is adopted into a wealthy, law-abiding family as an infant after his father is killed in an attempted robbery. Will he follow in the footsteps of his outlaw father or will his life be guided by the respectable woman who nurtured him to manhood? Another exciting tale by the master of the pulp western, Max Brand.