Elizabeth, by Name (Western Series Level II

by Will Cook

In the early days of the Texas Territory, only those with courage and strength could survive. . .

352 pages, Library Binding

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

William Everett Cook was born in Richmond, Indiana in 1922 and died in 1964. He began writing for publication in 1952 for Popular Library. During his short life Cook was a soldier, commercial aviator, deep-sea diver, logger, peace officer, and writer of western and adventure novels and stories. His hobbies included sports car racing, sailing, judo, and barbershop singing. His pseudonyms include Wayne Everett, James Keene, Frank Peace, and William Richards.

William Everett Cook was a writer of western and adventure novels and stories. Collection consists of correspondence (273 letters), manuscripts for his novels, short stories, and one novella, and an extensive collection of western pulp fiction containing short stories by Cook.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often read westerns. I found this old book (mine was published in 1958) on my shelf among some other books discarded from our public library and since I couldn't use the library during the pandemic closure, decided to see what it was about.

I was pleasantly surprised. Westerns don't often have female protagonists, but Elizabeth was a good one. She accompanies her widowed brother Paul and his three children to Texas, where he hopes to make a home. Unfortunately, he is a very weak and unstable character, totally unsuited to being a pioneer, and totally unwilling to take anyone else's advice. His son Tom worships him however, because Dad lets him do whatever he wants to. When Paul is killed doing something he had been warned against, Elizabeth must step up to the plate, protecting and caring for the children, and taming the wild land she has been set adrift in.

Along the way, she meets a wonderful cast of famous people, before they really become famous (or infamous as the case may be): Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett, and a host of other Texans - Indians, outlaws, cattlemen, farmers, gamblers, floozies, and cavalry men.

Elizabeth is made of sterner stuff than her brother, and doesn't immediately seek a man to attach herself to. She makes Tom the man of the family and with his help sets up a small trading post to serve the cattle drives, Indians, and settlers. Since she is not too proud to listen to advice, she thrives on the hard work and challenges of this new life.

And there are challenges aplenty - including weather, buffalo stampedes, Indians with smallpox, the frustrations of a boy growing into a man, people who want to take advantage of a woman alone, and the attentions of men who want to woo and wed her.

It was a great story with the historical facts woven through the fiction, enriching the reader's understanding of the pioneer days of Texas.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM