Great Western Short Stories, The Morrow Anthology Of - Hardcover

Tuska, Jon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688147836 ISBN 13: 9780688147839

Publisher: William Morrow, 1997

Synopsis

A collection of twenty-eight tales of the Old West includes previously unpublished stories by such classic Western writers as Zane Grey, Max Brand, and Alan LeMay, along with up-and-coming writers like Richard Wheeler and Cynthia Haselhoff.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

The Western story, the editors assert, ``constitutes the single most important literary movement in the history of the United States.'' While that's debatable, it's clear, based on some of the 28 tales included here, that our fascination with the pioneer experience in the West has generated some robust, distinctive short fiction. There are numerous anthologies of Western writing, but this one stands out because of its emphasis on stories by women (including such talented, and now obscure, figures as B.M. Bower, Cherry Wilson, and Dorothy M. Johnson), and because it steers clear of the work of well-known literary writers, concentrating on the gaudier work produced by professional writers for a mass audience--most of the tales here originally appeared (over the past six decades) in popular magazines. Time has rendered some of the work quaint (in a reliance on stereotypical figures--the hard-bitten, taciturn cowboy, the resourceful rancher's daughter), and a few stories are uncomfortably one-dimensional (there's little sympathy in most of these pieces for the experience of Indians or other minorities). Still, there's enough strong work here (including Johnson's ``Virginia City Winter,'' Conrad Richter's ``Valhalla,'' and ``Deep in this Land,'' by Ernest Haycox) to make the collection a useful addition to the growing shelf of Western anthologies. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Alongside jazz, the Old West remains America's most significant original contribution to world culture, and this largely comprehensive collection gathers campfire classics from such legendary names as Zane Grey, Alan LeMay, and Max Brand. (No sign of popular Louis L'Amour, though.) Grey's gift for beautiful description, LeMay's humanity and whimsy, and Brand's driven characterizations typify their entries here. The book's two centerpieces, extended novellas by Cherry Wilson (one of the many female western story writers featured here) and Les Savage Jr., are both sprawling epics testing the character of both men and women on the frontier; but there are also fine literary pleasures to be had among shorter works by T. T. Flynn (a quick-draw tale), S. Omar Barker (a throwback to the old-style magazine yarns), Richard S. Wheeler (a touching deathbed recollection of a very young man), and Cynthia Haseloff (a stirring account of Native American bravery and honor). All the stories reach deeply into the pioneer spirit still cherished by many Americans. Joe Collins

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0688147836
• ISBN 13: 9780688147839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 672