Assist readers in their book selections with this guide, which covers titles spanning the entire spectrum of the Western genre—from such classics as those written by Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and Max Brand to traditional novels by Elmer Kelton and contemporary novels of the West by Annie Proulx, Louise Erdrich, and Larry McMurtry. Mort describes and maps approximately 2000 titles, grouping them by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots. Also included are chapters on the history of the genre, six great authors of the genre, a Western timeline, information on resources and awards, and detailed indexes. Often overlooked or written off as a dying genre, the Western, in fact, holds great appeal for many readers today. While traditional Westerns have managed to retain a loyal cadre of fans, new followers have been drawn in by recent iterations of and new directions in the genre written by such authors as Larry McMurtry, Annie Proulx, Louise Erdrich, and Tabor Evans; as well as contemporary authors writing in the traditional vein, such as Elmer Kelton. Westerns are also thriving within the flourishing Christian fiction genre. This guide, intended to help you assist readers in their book (and film) selections, covers the entire spectrum of the Western, describing and mapping the genre—from classics that are still enjoyed by dedicated readers to more contemporary and literary novels of the West that feature the alluring themes of freedom, individualism, and moral regeneration set against the magnificent backdrop of the Western landscape. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, the book guides users to similar titles and read-alikes. Young adult and adult. Grades 10 and up. Mort takes a broad historical perspective, covering the Western from its origins in the 19th century to today. Selections represent the best and most popular titles as well as those commonly available in libraries. Chapters focus on past giants of the genre (Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, Max Brand) as well as on current subgenres and themes such as Christian Westerns, Sagas, Western Romance, Western Mysteries, Young Adult Westerns, Native Americans, and Mountain Men. Western films, so integral to the evolution of the genre, are annotated in a separate chapter. Approximately 2,000 titles are covered, about 250 of them films. Coverage of books is broad and thorough; coverage of films is selective. In addition, there are a brief history of the genre, a Western timeline, information on resources and awards, and author/title, subject and geographic indexes. This is the definitive resource on the Western genre, and an essential readers' advisory and reference tool.

Down Along the Piney is John Mort’s fourth short-story collection and winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction. With settings in Florida, California, Mexico, Chicago, the Texas Panhandle, and, of course, the Ozarks themselves, these thirteen stories portray the unsung, amusing, brutal, forever hopeful lives of ordinary people. Mort chronicles the struggles of "flyover" people who live not just in the Midwest, but anywhere you can find a farm, small town, or river winding through forested hills. Mort, whose earlier stories have appeared in the New Yorker, GQ, and The Chicago Tribune, is the author of the award-winning Vietnam War novel Soldier in Paradise, as well as Goat Boy of the Ozarks and The Illegal. These ironic, unflaggingly honest stories will remind the reader of Jim Harrison, Sherwood Anderson, and Shirley Jackson.

A 2022 Great Group Reads selection In late fall of 1892 outlaw Eddie Mole gallops down the main street of Jericho Springs, Kansas, where he robs and shoots dead the freighter Barney Kreider. Some urge Barney's son Ulysses ("Euly") to take revenge, but Euly is a Mennonite and Mennonites don't seek revenge. Instead, Euly plots how to make his fortune with the aid of his half-Osage sister, Kate, and his friend Johnny, an Osage farmhand. The three make a plan to sell goods and livestock to the settlers converging on Caldwell, Kansas, for the land run going on in the Cherokee Outlet. When Johnny tracks Eddie into the Cherokee Outlet, he witnesses Buffalo Soldiers evicting Eddie from a ranch, leaving it public domain, and Johnny and Kate make the run for that beautiful land. Euly follows close behind, even as Eddie, riding from Arkansas City, tries to reclaim his old ranch. John Mort's narrative is an anti-revenge novel-always opting for nonviolence. But there's violence nevertheless, as Eddie's and Barney's survivors converge in a rousing finish. Though this novel uses some of the architecture and motifs of traditional westerns, it is carefully researched and set in the unfolding of a pivotal, neglected historical event.

It's 1966, Christmas Day, the Missouri Ozarks. Johnny Bell, not quite 16, is found in a snowdrift along a farm-to-market road by a fundamentalist farm family named Ogletree. Johnny came from Brownsville, Texas to the Ozarks, walking much of the way, with his grandfather, George Bell. George, a dying man, had determined to return to the home place he abandoned during the severe drought of the early 1950s because of a fabulous heritage he hopes to pass on to Johnny. Shortly after their arrival, George dies. Johnny is taken in by the Ogletree family, over the objections of Charley Larkin, a preacher, businessman, and Republican candidate for sheriff who was great friends with Johnny's father, an itinerant evangelist killed in the Korean War. Johnny, caring for the Ogletrees' chickens and goats, becomes great friends with the Ogletrees' oldest daughter, Suzanne. Another friend is a goat he finds in the woods, and names "La," after the queen in Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. But Johnny can't get along with Everett, head of the Ogletree clan, and retreats to his own place, where he lives in an old machine shed. There he fixes his father's 1938 Ford coupe and schemes how to make a living, at last hiring out as a "hillbilly" in a brand-new theme park. An English teacher named Ruth Koontz casts him in a melodrama called GOAT BOY OF THE OZARKS, and Charley Larkin encourages Johnny to become an evangelist. But Johnny must find his own path, and he has a legacy to claim.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Historical And Scientific Questions Adapted To Crossley's Comprehensive Class Book John Mort Wakefield, John Thomas Crossley Hamilton, Adams, & Co., 1846 Science; General; Science / General; Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects

These twelve stories reflect the combat infantry experience of the Vietnam War--in the gritty "Tanks," "Called of God," and "Incubation Period." There's also the woman's perspective of Arlene, a naive Red Cross volunteer or "Doughnut Dolly," in "A Man's World." Mort captures veterans' experiences in "Rest Stop," a woeful, divorced man's tale; "Hallelujah By and By," a dark, almost supernatural story set in the Arkansas Ozarks; and "Behind Enemy Lines," the story of a homeless, damaged man who at last finds his way home. All but two of these stories were previously published in such magazines as GQ and the MISSOURI REVIEW, or in the collection, TANKS. Mort served with the First Cavalry in 1969 and 1970, near Tay Ninh, as an RTO.

Down Along the Piney is John Mort’s fourth short-story collection and winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction. With settings in Florida, California, Mexico, Chicago, the Texas Panhandle, and, of course, the Ozarks themselves, these thirteen stories portray the unsung, amusing, brutal, forever hopeful lives of ordinary people. Mort chronicles the struggles of "flyover" people who live not just in the Midwest, but anywhere you can find a farm, small town, or river winding through forested hills. Mort, whose earlier stories have appeared in the New Yorker, GQ, and The Chicago Tribune, is the author of the award-winning Vietnam War novel Soldier in Paradise, as well as Goat Boy of the Ozarks and The Illegal. These ironic, unflaggingly honest stories will remind the reader of Jim Harrison, Sherwood Anderson, and Shirley Jackson.