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The Floating Outfit #11
Wagons To Backsight
Backsight County was prime land--for lizards, outlaws and damn fools. Colonel Raines was considered by some to be in the last category. He had the fool idea that he could push a wagon train through the meanest country in the west. With luck. Maybe a miracle or two. And the help of a small, insignificant looking cowhand by the name of Dusty Fog...
- GenresWesterns
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
36 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
J.T. Edson
183 books79 followersJohn Thomas Edson is an English writer of Westerns.
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 14, 2017
Great literature it ain’t. But I love it...
October 4, 2017
A classic well written western.
Another great novel from J T well worth the five star rating, written with his usual penchant for keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good western. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the floating outfit books.
Another great novel from J T well worth the five star rating, written with his usual penchant for keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good western. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the floating outfit books.
April 18, 2018
In Linton Excellente!
An enjoyable and exciting tale of the old west that’s well written and edited. I literally could not put it down once I started it.
An enjoyable and exciting tale of the old west that’s well written and edited. I literally could not put it down once I started it.
September 18, 2022
Another classic shoot-em-up Western, with good triumpning over evil. J T Edson, the Master, has done it again. Great reading, with the usual twist at the end.
March 3, 2024
wonderful book
I promise you’ll love reading this book for sure it’s fast Pace and gun fights and Indian battles and romance
I promise you’ll love reading this book for sure it’s fast Pace and gun fights and Indian battles and romance
April 23, 2024
Remember
Read all these many years ago and am enjoying reading them again on kindle. It Epson is an enjoyable bit of escapism.
Read all these many years ago and am enjoying reading them again on kindle. It Epson is an enjoyable bit of escapism.
December 24, 2013
The scout for a wagon train headed to Backsight, Arizona is murdered. Unfortunately for the murders, he had already sent for help in the form of the floating outfit. Dusty takes over as wagon master and the Kid as scout as they fight to get the train safely through an avalanche prone pass and waring Apaches. A figure from Dusty's Civil War career is instrumental in the latter. Once the train reaches Backsight their troubles have just begun and the events there will change the life of one member of the floating outfit forever. Many of the characters in this story appear in a follow up story late in the series Return to Backsight.
September 8, 2014
Settlers are heading to new terrotories to set up a new life. Land speculators do not want them to arrive. The Floating Outfit are there to help.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews