Jim Meeker came down from Montana to run Texas cattle--only to find that Hopalong Cassidy's Bar-20 ran the water. So when a trio of snake-mean rustlers started themselves a cattle war, the powder was primed, the guns cocked, and Hopalong was smack in the middle. So it's friend against friend, brother against brother, gun against blazing gun. Time's running out, and the range is red with blood. Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character. In his early writings, Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. Beginning in 1935, the character-as played by movie actor William Boyd in films adapted from Mulford's books-was transformed into a clean-cut on-screen hero. A total of sixty-six immensely popular films were released.

"The Man from Bar-20" (1918) is the seventh of Mulford's novels about Hopalong Cassidy.

"The Man from Bar-20" (1918) is the seventh of Mulford's novels about Hopalong Cassidy.

"Tex" (1922) is the tenth of Mulford's novels about Hopalong Cassidy.

Bar-20, originally published in 1906, is one of the original Hopalong Cassidy novels.

Bar-20, originally published in 1906, is one of the original Hopalong Cassidy novels.

Hopalong Cassidy is an iconic western cowboy hero conceived by Clarence Mulford, but immortalized in a series of films starring William Boyd from 1935-1948. A tough-talking and violent character in the print novels, Cassidy was remade into a clean-cut hero who traveled the West with his sidekicks fighting villains who took advantage of the weak. Clarence E Mulford takes you back to the beginning by relating the stories (as told to him by Red and the boys of the BAR-20) of how Buck Peters started the BAR-20 ranch. It tells of how he picked up Hopalong Cassidy, Red Connors, Skinny Thompson, and many of the other colorful characters in this famous series.

Two tired but happy punchers rode into the coast town and dismounted in front of the best hotel. Putting up their horses as quickly as possible they made arrangements for sleeping quarters and then hastened out to attend to business. Buck had been kind to delegate this mission to them and they would feel free to enjoy what pleasures the town might afford. While at that time the city was not what it is now, nevertheless it was capable of satisfying what demands might be made upon it by two very active and zealous cow-punchers. Their first experience began as they left the hotel. "Hey, you cow-wrastlers " said a not unpleasant voice, and they turned suspiciously as it continued: "You've shore got to hang up them guns with the hotel clerk while you cavorts around on this range. This is fence country."

"Tex" (1922) is the tenth of Mulford's novels about Hopalong Cassidy.