Ever since the day he was deployed to fight in WWI, Daren Lane dreamed of the day that he returned home. Feeling that it had been several years since he left, Daren finally returns home to America, but soon realizes that it is not the home he remembers. Others have been able to move on from the war, causing Daren to question if his sacrifice of service was even worth it. Though he is attached to the ideals and behavior popular during the Victorian era, the rest of American society have moved on to the frivolous and fun attitude of the roaring twenties. When Daren notices that his younger sister is participating in this culture, drinking underage, gambling, and taking drugs, Daren is repulsed. Feeling that it is immoral and irreverent, he vows to put a stop to it. While organizing a way to combat his community's declining morals, the young soldier receives a troubling diagnosis due to an injury that he sustained during the war. While coming to terms with this discovery, Daren decides to dedicate his time to mentoring the youth, attempting to reform their behavior. With themes of cultural and generational divides, The Day of the Beast by Zane Grey is a somber and intriguing narrative that depicts a soldier's complicated integration back into civilian life. Written with descriptive and moving prose, The Day of the Beast is emotional and provides a unique and rare perspective on the cultural change of the roaring twenties. Adding to the fascinating discussions of this historic period, this Zane Grey masterpiece is captivating and relevant to a modern audience. This edition of The Day of the Beast by Zane Grey now features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of The Day of the Beast crafts an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original drama and depth of Zane Grey's work.

In 1870s Utah, a beautiful young rancher becomes the object of desire for a local polygamist eager to make her one of his many wives. She successfully rejects his advances with the support of two notorious outcasts. Jane Withersteen is a part of a strict Mormon community in Utah. Despite the conservative nature of her peers, she is an independent rancher who lives alone on her family's land. When she catches the eye of Elder Tull, a prominent church leader, he plans to make her his next wife. He twists the law and manipulates members of the community to isolate Jane, hoping to wear her down. But the cowboy Bern Venters and infamous gunslinger, Jim Lassiter help to stop Tull in his tracks. Riders of the Purple Sage is a classic western written in Grey's signature prose. Once described as "the most popular western novel of all time" the story has been adapted across multiple mediums, including five feature films. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Riders of the Purple Sage is both modern and readable.

"A rousing frontier saga."-The Washington Post "(Cooper's) sympathy is large, and his humor is as genuine--and as perfectly unaffected--as his art."-Joseph Conrad The Last of the Mohicans (1826) is the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. The continuing adventures of the peerless frontiersman Hawkeye, also known as Natty Bumppo among other monikers, is an unforgettable saga of the frontier life of early America. Set during the French and Indian Wars of mid-eighteenth century, this hair-raising historical novel opens as the French army is attacking Fort William Henry, a British fort in Western New York commanded by the withdrawn Colonel Munro. In the forest between Fort William Henry and another distant British outpost, Munro's daughters Alice and Cora, are escorted through the dangerous terrain by Major Heyward and a Huron Indian named Magua. When the group crosses their path with the white frontiersman Natty Bumppo and his Indian companions, Heyward is warned that they are being betrayed by Magua, and the group is not being led to Fort William Henry. Magua runs to the woods, and the group is lead to safety by Natty and the two remaining members of the Mohican tribe, Chingachgok and his son Uncas. Next morning, the group is attacked by a gang of the Huron tribe, and all are captured with the exception of Natty Bumppo and the mohicans. In the ensuing events of this extraordinary novel, the conflicts of battle, love, and race are unfolded against a thrilling adventure story. This classic of American literature has been adapted into numerous films, including the 1992 version starring Daniel Day-Lewis. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Last of the Mohicans is both modern and readable.

When Jack Kells kidnaps the beautiful Joan Randle, he takes her to an isolated canyon where his legion are plotting to acquire a gold fortune. The woman becomes an unexpected accomplice to an intricate robbery. Jack Kells is the cold-hearted leader of a group of mountain bandits. Despite his rough exterior, he develops a soft spot for their latest victim-Miss Joan Randle. She was captured by the men and taken to their hideout where she encounters one surprise after another. Joan spots her boyfriend, Jim Cleve, among the group but hides their intimate connection. While Kells plans a major gold heist, he is distracted by his complicated feelings. Zane Grey presents another compelling western drama with The Border Legion. This captivating story blurs the lines of good and bad, focusing on the nuance of each character. It is an intriguing narrative that delivers on all fronts. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Border Legion is both modern and readable.

"Brett Riley's COMANCHE is the best western-horror-thriller-ghost story-PI novel ever written."-Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland Like a cylinder in a six-shooter, what goes around, comes around. In 1887 near the tiny Texas town of Comanche, a posse finally ends the murderous career of The Piney Woods Kid in a hail of bullets. Still in the grip of blood-lust, the vigilantes hack the Kid's corpse to bits in the dead house behind the train depot. The people of Comanche rejoice. Justice has been done. A long bloody chapter in the town's history is over. The year is now 2016. Comanche police are stymied by a double murder at the train depot. Witnesses swear the killer was dressed like an old-time gunslinger. Rumors fly that it's the ghost of The Piney Woods Kid, back to wreak revenge on the descendants of the vigilantes who killed him. Help arrives in the form of a team of investigators from New Orleans. Shunned by the local community and haunted by their own pasts, they're nonetheless determined to unravel the mystery. They follow the evidence and soon find themselves in the crosshairs of the killer.

A mysterious stranger, looking for a change in scenery, discovers a small Mormon community where a grown-up Fay Larkin has been taken against her will. Like its predecessor, The Rainbow Trail highlights the oppression of women within their religion. Following the events of Riders of the Purple Sage, polygamy has become a hidden practice among fundamentalist Mormons. Instead of living publicly, they've built an isolated village of sealed wives reserved for church elders. Fay Larkin, the adopted daughter of heroine Jane Withersteen, suddenly falls victim to the secret practice. This coincides with the arrival of John Shefford, a failed minister who's hot on the trail of Fay and her captors. The Rainbow Trail is a romance western driven by social commentary. It's a compelling story with a beautiful setting and engaging characters. Grey delivers a worthy follow-up to his most celebrated and culturally relevant work. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Rainbow Trail is both modern and readable.

Buck Duane is a famous gunfighter and outlaw, who's recruited by the Texas Rangers to help clean up a border town plagued by crime. It's a rare opportunity to do good in the eyes of the law and its people. The son of an outlaw, Buck Duane, unexpectedly follows in his father's footsteps when he kills a man in self-defense. Despite the context, he chooses to run from the authorities and goes into hiding. He encounters many dark and violent characters, but refuses to abandon his moral code. He only kills when necessary and never for sport. Buck is given a rare shot at redemption requiring him to rid a Texas town of murderers and thieves. The Lone Star Ranger is a transformative story about a tortured man's internal conflict. Buck Duane's mental and emotional struggle dictates every facet of his life. It's an insightful character study that tracks the evolution from outlaw to hero. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Lone Star Ranger is both modern and readable.

From 2014 to 2018, character comedy trio Sleeping Trees challenged themselves to bring the big screen to the stage, paying homage and reinventing gangster, western and sci-fi movies for audiences across the country. This book recounts how these shows were made, stories from when they were on tour, the trio's unique approach to devising fringe comedy, as well as the original scripts of the three award-winning plays. Mafia? Sleeping Trees deliver their version of every gangster film they've ever seen. Expect casinos, operas and bloodshed as the Banucci brothers find themselves in a situation stickier than most luxury cakes. Western? The Sleeping Trees find themselves slowly crisping under the sun of the Wild West, as gun-slinger Harry Sudds takes on bulls, scorpions and many other animals largely found in America. Sci-Fi? At a time where ancient planet Plutopia rules the galaxy, farmer Charlie Sprog is dragged from his quiet home planet and given one simple mission: SAVE THE UNIVERSE FROM TOTAL DESTRUCTION. So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy. Obviously if you need to put the popcorn down to hold the book then do, maybe just put the popcorn to the side, or hold it between your thighs? The important thing is that you read the book.

Following the War of Independence against the British Crown, a band of Tennessee settlers begins to carve out a new state in a young nation but face the opposition of the federal government and bloody resistance from the Chickamauga Indians. In this untamed land Owen Killefer, a slender lad barely in his teens, will face a trial by fire at the hands of white men and Indians alike -- and find within himself a stout spirit as strong as that of any frontiersman.

The third volume in The Tennessee Frontier Trilogy, The Canebrake Men is a saga of adventure set in the period from 1785 to 1800. In it Cameron Judd paints a portrait of the unforgettable men and women whose vision, passion, and pain gave rise to the new nation, such as:
-- Joshua Coulter, who had made a life amid the dangers of the rugged frontier and had been tamed by the Tennessee Wilderness, only to discover again a deep restlessness that stirred in his heart
-- Owen Killefer, who set out for the Chickamauga country as a boy to avenge a bloody crime
-- Emaline Killefer, who was torn from her family in a bloody raid by a British deserter and taken to live among the Chickamauga as his unwilling wife
-- John Sevier, the frontiersman who led raids against the Indians and was named governor of a would-be state the federal government never recognized
-- Andrew Jackson, a brash young lawyer with a fiery temper, who first met Joshua Colter as an opponent in a brawl but soon became a strong ally and loyal friend

Bestselling winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize, Lonesome Dove is an American classic. First published in 1985, Larry McMurtry's epic novel combined flawless writing with a storyline and setting that gripped the popular imagination, and ultimately resulted in a series of four novels and an Emmy-winning television miniseries. Now, with an introduction by the author, Lonesome Dove is reprinted in an S&S Classic Edition.

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, the author of Terms of Endearment, is his long-awaited masterpiece, the major novel at last of the American West as it really was.

A love story, an adventure, an American epic, Lonesome Dove embraces all the West -- legend and fact, heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settiers -- in a novel that recreates the central American experience, the most enduring of our national myths.

Set in the late nineteenth century, Lonesome Dove is the story of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana -- and much more. It is a drive that represents for everybody involved not only a daring, even a foolhardy, adventure, but a part of the American Dream -- the attempt to carve out of the last remaining wilderness a new life.

Augustus McCrae and W. F. Call are former Texas Rangers, partners and friends who have shared hardship and danger together without ever quite understanding (or wanting to understand) each other's deepest emotions. Gus is the romantic, a reluctant rancher who has a way with women and the sense to leave well enough alone. Call is a driven, demanding man, a natural authority figure with no patience for weaknesses, and not many of his own. He is obsessed with the dream of creating his own empire, and with the need to conceal a secret sorrow of his own. The two men could hardly be more different, but both are tough, redoubtable fighters who have learned to count on each other, if nothing else.

Call's dream not only drags Gus along in its wake, but draws in a vast cast of characters:

-- Lorena, the whore with the proverbial heart of gold, whom Gus (and almost everyone else) loves, and who survives one of the most terrifying experiences any woman could have...
-- Elmira, the restless, reluctant wife of a small-time Arkansas sheriff, who runs away from the security of marriage to become part of the great Western adventure...
-- Blue Duck, the sinister Indian renegade, one of the most frightening villains in American fiction, whose steely capacity for cruelty affects the lives of everyone in the book...
-- Newt, the young cowboy for whom the long and dangerous journey from Texas to Montana is in fact a search for his own identity...
-- Jake, the dashing, womanizing exRanger, a comrade-in-arms of Gus and Call, whose weakness leads him to an unexpected fate...
-- July Johnson, husband of Elmira, whose love for her draws him out of his secure life into the wilderness, and turns him into a kind of hero...

Lonesome Dove sweeps from the Rio Grande (where Gus and Call acquire the cattle for their long drive by raiding the Mexicans) to the Montana highlands (where they find themselves besieged by the last, defiant remnants of an older West).

It is an epic of love, heroism, loyalty, honor, and betrayal -- faultlessly written, unfailingly dramatic. Lonesome Dove is the novel about the West that American literature -- and the American reader -- has long been waiting for.

When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more? Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she's riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father's blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering--does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive? Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways. Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?

"It's a great country, but never trust it, son. It's beautiful but it's treacherous." Adam Ross had seen the way his country could destroy a man. Growing up in the Australian outback in the first half of the twentieth century with no formal education, no parents and no one to love him, he learned to fend for himself. But when he forms an unlikely friendship with Jimmy, who works in the Opal mines, his luck begins to change. The land that stole Adam's father gives him an opportunity to start anew. Armed with determination and ambition, Adam treks west to carve himself an empire. However, success doesn't come easy and Adam, a man who spent much of his life devoid of love, soon finds himself caught between two women. Torn between his love for his cold-hearted wife and his mistress, Adam must make decisions about his future and the type of man he wants to be.

A stunning literary debut, Horseman, Pass By (1961) exhibits the "full-blooded Western genius" (Publishers Weekly) that would come to define McMurtry's incomparable sensibility. In the dusty north Texas town of Thalia, young Lonnie Bannon quietly endures the pangs of maturity as a persistent rivalry between his grandfather and step-uncle, Hud, festers, and a deadly disease spreads among their cattle like wildfire.

North Castle Books are designed to bring the global variety of knowledge to a broader audience. Primarily aimed at the general reader through bookstore distribution, North Castle Books makes available, in handsomely bound paper editions, titles of literary and cultural significance that our editors have found to be of lasting importance. Spanning the range of fields from Asian Studies to American Studies, from short stories to scholarly treatises, from myth to memoirs, from Economics to Government, from Russian Politics to Recent History, North Castle Books will occupy an important place on bookshelves. Each edition will be reasonably priced, affording students, scholars, and serious readers the means to expand their horizons and broaden their aesthetic understanding.

The story of the Cheyenne Indians in the 1870s, and their bitter struggle to flee from the Indian Territory in Oklahoma back to their home in Wyoming and Montana.

"Mr. Fast's novel will stand or fall upon its value as a dramatic, finely presented story. It is all of that: a model, which may easily become a classic example, of what to put in and what to leave out in the writing of a historical novel. ... I do not believe it is saying too much to suggest that in the person of Mr. Fast we may have the next really important American historical novelist". -- Joseph Henry Jackson, New York Herald Tribune Books

"Fast's writing, austerely polished and austerely poetic, is admirably suited to this epic tale of a desperate effort for dignified survival. ... Fast has gotten to the core of this incident and made it into a rich American novel". -- New York Times Book Review

"An amazing restoration and reconstruction. Thecharacters breathe, the landscape is solid ground and sky, and the story runs flexibly along the zigzag trail of a people driven by a deep instinct to their ancient home. I do not know any other episode in Western history that has been so truly and subtly perpetuated as this one. A great story lost has been found again, and as here told promises to live for generations". -- Carl Van Doren

Introducing high-octane drama for fans of Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver and Vince Flynn: IT'S TIME TO DISCOVER A NEW HERO! Clyde Barr, the drifter with lethal skills, is alone again, wandering the highways of the American West in search of something to believe in. As summer turns to autumn, he heads for the mountains, planning to clear his head and regain his edge with some hunting. But when he runs across an elderly sick man-a Ute Indian from a nearby reservation-Clyde's dream of solitude is quickly dashed. On the reservation, Clyde finds the old man's daughter, Lawana, and grandson, Taylor, as well as a group of menacing bikers called Reapers running wild in the struggling, half-abandoned village. Gripped by the desire to do good in a hard world, Clyde offers to stay on Lawana's ranch to help out until her father is better. As tensions rise between the locals and the Reapers, Clyde's efforts to protect the reservation become a fight for his, Lawana's and Taylor's lives... A Promise to Kill is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, pushing its no-hold-barred hero to new levels of improvisation and bare-knuckled blunt force. Praise for Clyde Barr and Erik Storey: 'Clyde Barr - remember the name, because he could just become as famous as Lee Child's anti-hero Jack Reacher. Utterly compelling from the first page...for my money, it will become a worldwide sensation' DAILY MAIL 'Very, very good. Reacher is keeping an eye on this guy' LEE CHILD 'A singular new talent! Nothing short of brilliant. It grabs you from page one and simply doesn't let go. This man is a born storyteller!' JEFFERY DEAVER 'Erik Storey's writing is exceptional. This is a splendid debut, harsh and gripping throughout' THE TIMES '...the best debut thriller of the year - and don't be surprised if before long Erik Storey ranks among the giants of the genre' THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Western, with its stoic cowboys and quickhanded gunslingers, is an instantly recognizable American genre that has achieved worldwide success. Cultures around the world have embraced but also adapted and critiqued the Western as part of their own national literatures, reinterpreting and expanding the genre in curious ways. Canadian Westerns are almost always in conversation with their American cousins, influenced by their tropes and traditions, responding to their politics, and repurposing their structures to create a national literary tradition. The American Western in Canadian Literature examines over a century of the development of the Canadian Western as it responds to the American Western, to evolving literary trends, and to regional, national, and international change. Beginning with Indigenous perspectives on the genre, it moves from early manifestations of the Western in Christian narratives of personal and national growth, and its controversial pulp-fictional popularity in the 1940s, to its postmodern and contemporary critiques, pushing the boundary of the Western to include Northerns, Northwesterns, and post-Westerns in literature, film, and wider cultural imagery. The American Western in Canadian Literature is more than a simple history. It uses genre theory to comment on historical perspectives on nation and region. It includes overviews of Indigenous and settler-colonial critiques of the Western, challenging persistent attitudes to Indigenous people and their traditional territories that are endemic to the genre. It illuminates the way that the Canadian Western enshrines, hagiographies, and ultimately desacralizes aspects of Canadian life, from car culture to extractive industries to assumptions about a Canadian moral high ground. This is a comprehensive, highly readable, and fascinating study of an underexamined genre.